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CAPT.  W.  F.  DRANNAN, 

CHIEF    OF    SCOUTS. 

As  Pilot  to  Emigrant  and  Government  Trains, 

Across  the  Plains  of  the  Wild  West 

of  Fifty  Years  Ago. 


AS  TOLD   BY  HIMSELF, 

AS  A  SEQUEL  TO  HIS  FAMOUS  BOOK 

"THIRTY.ONE    YEARS    ON    THE     PLAINS 

AND  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS  " 


Copiously  Illustrated  by  E.  BERT  SMITH. 


CHICAGO: 

RHODES  &  McCLURE  PUBLISHING  CO. 


Entered  according  to  >«*  ^f  Congress,  ia  the  year  1910, 
bv  the 

RHODES  &  McCLURE   FUBLISHING   COMPANY. 

in  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Cc>rgr6ss,  Washington,  D.  C. 
All  Rights  K^' served. 


PLYMOUTH  PRINTING  &  BINDING  CO. 

104-106   South    Jefferson   Stve-gL 
CHICAGO,  ILL. 


u.  c. 

ACADEMY   OF 

PACIFIC  COAST 

HISTORY 


PREFACE 


The  kindly  interest  with  which  the  public  has  received 
my  first  book,  **  Thirty-one  Years  on  the  Plains  and  in 
the  Mountains, "  has  tempted  me  into  writing  this  second 
little  volume,  in  which  I  have  tried  to  portray  that  part 
of  my  earlier  life  which  was  spent  in  piloting  emigrant 
and  government  trains  across  the  Western  Plains,  when 
**Plains"  meant  wilderness,  with  nothing  to  encounter 
but  wild  animals,  and  wilder,  hostile  Indian  tribes. 
When  every  step  forward  might  have  spelt  disaster,  and 
deadly  danger  was  likely  to  lurk  behind  each  bush  or 
thicket  that  was  passed. 

The  tales  put  down  here  are  tales  of  true  occurrences, 
— not  fiction.  They  are  tales  that  were  lived  through 
by  throbbing  hearts  of  men  and  women,  who  were  all 
bent  upon  the  one,  same  purpose: — to  plow  onward, 
onward,  through  danger  and  death,  till  their  goal,  the 
**land  of  gold,"  was  reached,  and  if  the  kind  reader  will 
receive  them  and  judge  them  as  such,  the  purpose  of 
this  little  book  will  be  amply  and  generously  fulfilled. 

W.  F.  D. 


CONTENTS 


Chapter  i  -     -     -     "     "i7 

Chapter  2  -     -     -     -     -     48 

Chapter  3  -     -     -     -     -   98 

Chapter  4  -     -     "     •     "     ^3^ 

Chapter  5  -     -     -     -     -  168 

Chapter  6  -     -     -     -     -    200 

Chapter  7  -     -     -     -     -  237 

Chapter  8  -     -     -     -     -     286 

Chapter  9  -     -     -     "     -3^3 

Chapter  10-  -     -     -     -339 

Chapter  ii  -     -     -     -     -  361 


chapter  12 


379 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


FROM    DRA>A/^INGS     BY    E.    BERT    SMITH. 

OPPCITE   PAGE 

Captain  W.  F.  Drannan,  Chief  of  Scouts,      Frontispiece 

With  the  exception  of  Carson,  we  were  all  scared,        17 

As  soon  as  they  were  gone,  I  took  the  Scalp  off  the 

dead  Chiefs  head,  -----       48 

The  first  thing  we  knew  the  whole  number  that  we 

had  first  seen  were  upon  us,  -  -  -         98 

Waving  my  hat.  I  dashed  into  the  midst  of  the 

band, -        131 

Fishing  with  the  girls,     -----  168 

They  raced  around  us  in  a  circle,         -         -         _       200 

The  mother  bear  ran  up  to  the  dead  cub  and  paweJ 

it  with  her  feet, 237 

The  next  morning  we  struck  the   trail  for  Bent's 

Fort, 286 

I  took  the  lead, -315 

I  bent  over  him  and  spoke  to  him,  but  he  did  not 

answer,  -------     379 


With  the  exception  of  Carson,  we  were  all  scared. — Page  i8. 


CHAPTER  I. 

At  the  age  of  fifteen  I  found  myself  in  St,  Louis,  Mo., 
probably  five  hundred  miles  from  ray  child-hood  home, 
with  one  dollar  and  a  half  in  money  in  my  pocket.  I 
did  not  know  one  person  in  that  whole  city,  and  no  one 
knew  me.  After  I  had  wandered  about  the  city  a  few 
days,  trying  to  find  something  to  do  to  get  a  living,  I 
chanced  to  meet  what  proved  to  be  the  very  best  that 
could  have  happened  to  me.  I  met  Kit  Carson,  the 
world's  most  famous  frontiers-man;  the  man  to  whom 
not  half  the  credit  has  been  given  that  was  his  due. 

The  time  I  met  him,  Kit  Carson  was  preparing  to  go 
west  on  a  trading  expedition  with  the  Indians.  When  I 
say  **going  west"  I  mean  far  beyond  civilization.  He 
proposed  that  I  join  him,  and  I  in  my  eagerness  for  ad- 
ventures in  the  wild,  consented  readily. 

(17) 


I8  AT  THE  GATE. 

When  we  left  St.  Louis,  we  traveled  in  a  straight  west- 
ern direction,  or  as  near  west  as  possible,  Fifty  eight 
years  ago  Missouri  was  a  sparcely  settled  country,  and 
we  often  traveled  ten  and  sometimes  fifteen  miles  with- 
out seeing  a  house  or  a  single  person. 

We  left  Springfield  at  the  south  of  us  and  passed  out 
of  the  State  of  Missouri  at  Fort  Scott,  and  by  doing  so 
we  left  civilization  behind,  for  from  Fort  Scott  to  the 
Pacific  coast  was  but  very  little  known,  and  was  in- 
habited entirely  by  hostile  tribes   of  Indians. 

A  great  portion  of  the  country  between  Fort  Scott 
and  the  Rocky-Mountains  that  we  traveled  over  on 
that  journey  was  a  wild,  barren  waste,  and  we  never 
imagined  it  would  be  inhabited  by  anything  but  wild 
Indians,   Buffalo,   and  Coyotes. 

We  traveled  up  the  Neosha  river  to  its  source,  and 
I  remember  one  incident  in  particular.  We  were 
getting  ready  to  camp  for  the  night  when  Carson  saw 
a  band  of  Indians  coming  directly  towards  us.  They 
were  mounted  on  horses  and  were  riding  very  slowly 
and  had  their  horses  packed  with  Buffalo-meat. 

With  the  exception  of  Carson  we  were  all  scared, 
thinking  the  Indians  were  coming  to  take  our  scalps. 
As  they  came  nearer  our  camp  Carson  said,  *'Boys, 
we  are  going  to  have  a  feast". 

On  the  way  out  Carson  had  taught  me  to  call  him 
**Uncle  Kit".  So  I  said,  **Uncle  Kit,  are  you  going 
to  kill  an  Indian  and  cook  him  for  supper?'* 


OF  WILDERNESS.  v  I9 

He  laughed  and  answered,  **No,  Willie,  not  quite 
as  bad  as  that,  besides  I  don't  think  we  are  hungry 
enough  to  eat  an  Indian,  if  we  had  one  cooked  by  a 
French  cook;  but  what  will  be  better,  to  my  taste  at 
least,  the  Indians  are  bringing  us  some  Buffalo  meat 
for  our  supper,"  and  sure  enough  they  proved  to  be 
friendly. 

They  were  a  portion  of  the  Caw-tribe,  which  was 
friendly  with  the  whites  at  that  time.  They  had  been 
on  a  hunt,  and  had  been  successful  in  getting  all  the 
game  they  wanted.  When  they  rode  up  to  our  camp 
they  surrounded  Carson  every  one  of  them,  trying,  to 
shake  his  hand  first.  Not  being  acquainted  with  the 
ways  of  the  Indians  the  rest  of  us  did  not  understand 
what  this  m'jant,  and  we  got  our  guns  with  the  inten- 
tion of  protecting  him  from  danger,  but  seeing  what 
we  were  about  to  do  Carson  sang  out  to  us,  * 'Hold  on 
boys.  These  are  our  friends,"  and  as  soon,  as  they  were 
done  shaking  hands  with  him  Carson  said  something 
to  them  in  a  language,  I  did  not  understand,  and  they 
came  and  offered  their  hands  to  shake  with  us.  The 
boys  and  myself  with  the  rest  stood  and  gazed  at  the 
performance  in  amazement,  not  knowing  what  to  do  or 
say.  These  were  the  first  wild  Indians  we  boys  had 
ever  seen.  As  soon  as  the  hand  shaking  was  over 
Carson  asked  me  to  give  him  my  knife  which  I  carried  in 
my  belt.  He  had  given  the  knife  to  me  when  we  left  St. 
Louis.      I  presume    Carson    had  a    hundred    just    such 


30  FRIENDS  OR  FOES? 

knives  as  this  one  was  in  his  pack,  but  he  could  not  take 
the  time  then  to  get  one  out.  For  my  knife  he  traded 
a  yearling  Buffalo,  and  there  was  meat  enough  to  feed 
his  whole  crew  three  or  four  days.  That  was  the  first 
Indian  *  *Pow-wow"  that  I  had  ever  seen  or  heard  of 
either. 

The  Indians  ate  supper  with  us,  and  after  that  they 
danced,  **the  Peace  Dance,"  after  smoking  the  Pipe  of 
Peace  with  Uncle  Kit.  The  smoking  and  dancing  lasted 
perhaps  an  hour  and  then  the  Indians  mounted  their 
horses  and  sped  away  to  their  own  village, 

I  was  with  Carson  off  and  on  about  twelve  years  but 
I  never  saw  him  appear  to  enjoy  himself  better  than  he 
did  that  night.  After  the  Indians  had  gone.  Uncle  Kit  imi- 
tated each  one  of  us  as  he  said,  we  looked  when  the 
Indians  first  appeared  in  sight.  He  had  some  in  the  act 
of  running  and  others  trying  to  hide  behind  the  horse, 
and  he  said  that  if  the  ground  had  been  loose  we  would 
have  tried  to  dig  a  hole  to  crawl  into.  One  of  the  party 
he  described  as  sitting  on  his  pack  with  his  mouth  wide 
open,  and  he  said,  he  could  not  decide  whether  the  man 
wanted  to  swallow  an  Indian,  or  a  Buffalo. 

The  next  morning  we  pulled  out  from  here,  crossing 
the  divide  between  this  stream  and  the  Arkansas.  Just 
before  we  struck  the  Arkansas  river,  we  struck  the 
Santa- Fe  trail.  This  trail  led  from  St-  Joe  on  the  Mis- 
souri river  to  Santa-Fe,  New  Mexico,  by  the  way  of  Bents 
Fort,  as  it  was  called    then.     Bents  Fort   was   only   a 


A   BUFFALO  STAMPEDE.  21 

Trailing  Station,  owned  by  Bent,  and  Robedoux.  These 
two  men  at  that  time  handled  all  the  furs,  that  were 
trapped  from  the  head  of  the  North  Platte,  to  the  head 
of  the  Arkansas;  the  Santa-Fe  trail,  as  it  was  then  called, 
was  the  only  route  leading  to  that  part  of  the  country. 

After  traveling  up  the  Arkansas  river  some  distance, 
above  what  is  known  as  Big  Bend,  we  struck  the  Buffalo 
Country,  and  I  presume  it  was  a  week,  that  we  were 
never  out  of  the  sight  of  Buffalos.  I  remember  we 
camped  on  the  bank  of  the  river  just  above  Pawne  Rock 
that  night;  the  next  morning  we  were  up  early  and  had 
our  breakfast,  as  we  calculated  to  make  a  big  drive  that 
day.  Carson  had  been  telling  us  how  many  days  it 
would  take  us  to  make  Bent's  Fort,  and  we  wanted  to 
get  there  before  the  Fourth  of  July.  Just  as  we  had  got 
our  animals  packed  and  every  thing  in  readiness  to  start, 
a  herd  of  Buffalo  commenced  crossing  the  river  about  a 
half  a  mile  above  our  camp.  The  reader  will  understand 
that  the  Buffalo  always  cross  the  river  where  it  is 
shallow;  their  instinct  teaching  them  that  where  the 
water  is  shallow,  there  is  a  rock-bottom,  and  in  crossing 
these  places  they  avoid  quicksand.  This  was  the  only  cross- 
ing in  fifteen  miles  up  or  down  the  river.  We  did  not  get  to 
move  for  twenty-four  hours.  It  seems  unreasonable  to 
tell  the  number  of  Buffalo  that  crossed  the  river  in  those 
twenty-four  hours.  After  crossing  the  river  a  half  a  mile 
at  the  north  of  the  ford  they  struck  the  foot  hill;  and  one 
could  see  nothing  but  a  moving,  black  mass,  as  far  as  the 
eye  could  see. 


22  AT  KIT  CARSON  S  HOME. 

I  do  not  f^\^orabe^  how  long  we  were  going  from  there 
to  Bent*s  For.  but  we  got  there  on  the  second  of  July, 
1847,  and  evcv  white  man  that  was  within  three  hundred 
miles  was  there,  which  wore  just  sixteen,  At  this  present 
time,  I  presume  f here  are  two  or  three  hundred  thousand 
within  the  same  distance  from  Bent's  Fort,  and  that  is 
only  fifty  eight  yearj>  ago!  In  view  of  the  great  change 
that  has  taken  place  in  the  last  half  century,  v/hat  will 
the  next  half  century  bang.  The  reader  must  remem- 
ber that  the  increase  musi  be  three  to  one  to  what  it  was 
at  that  time. 

After  staying  at  Bent's  Fort  eight  days  we  pulled  out 
for  **Taos,"  Carson's  home.  He  remained  at  Taos, 
which  is  in  New  Mexico,  until  early  in  the  fall,  about  the 
first  of  October  which  is  early  autumn  ii^  New  Mexico; 
then  we  started  for  our  trapping  ground,  which  was  on 
the  head  of  the  Arkansas  river,  where  Beav^i  was  as 
numerous  as  rats  are  around  a  wharf. 

We  were  very  successful  that  winter  in  trapping.  It 
was  all  new  to  me,  I  had  never  seen  a  Beaver^  or  a 
Beaver  trap.  Deer,  Elk,  and  Bison,  which  is  a  species 
of  Buffalo  was  as  plentiful  in  that  country  at  that  time 
as  cattle  is  now  on  the  ranch.  I  really  believe,  that  I 
have  seen  more  deer  in  one  day  than  there  is  in  the 
whole  State  of  Colorado,  at  the  present  time. 

In  the  autumn,  just  before  the  snow  commences  to 
fall,  the  deer  leave  the  high  mountains,  and  seek  the 
valleys  and  also  the  Elk  and  Bison;  no  game  stays  in  the 


A  MESSAGE  FROM   COL.   FREEMONT.  2$ 

high  mountains,  but  the  Mountain  Sheep,  and  he  is  very 
peculiar  in  his  habits,  he  invariably  follows  the  bluffs  of 
streams.  In  winter  and  summer,  his  food  is  mostly  moss, 
which  he  picks  from  the  rocks;  he  eats  but  very  little 
grass.  But  there  is  no  better  meat,  than  the  mountain 
sheep.  In  the  fall,  the  spring  lambs  will  weigh  from 
seventy-five  to  a  hundred  pounds,  and  are  very  fat  and  as 
tender  as  a  chicken;  but  this  species  of  game  is  almost 
extinct  in  the  United  States;  I  have  not  killed  one  in  ten 
years. 

We  stayed  in  our  camp  at  the  head  of  the  Arkansas 
river,  until  sometime  in  April,  then  we  pulled  out  for 
Bent's  Fort  to  dispose  of  our  pelts.  We  staid  at  the 
Fort  three  days.  The  day  we  left  the  Fort,  we  met  a 
runner  from  Col.  Freemont  with  a  letter  for  Carson. 
Freemont  wanted  Carson  to  bring  a  certain  amount  of 
supplies  to  his  camp,  and  then  to  act  as  a  guide  across 
the  mountains  to  Montarey,  California.  The  particulars 
of  the  contract  between  Freemont  and  Carson,  I  never 
knew,  but  I  know  this  much,  that  when  we  got  to  Free- 
mont*s  camp,  we  found  the  hardest  looking  set  of  men, 
that  I  ever  saw.  They  had  been  shut  up  in  camp  all 
winter,  and  the  majority,  of  them  had  the  scurvy,  which 
was  brought  on  by  want  of  exercise,  and  no  vegetable 
food.  The  most  of  the  supplies  we  took  him,  were  pota- 
toes and  onions,  and  as  soon  as  we  arrived  in  camp  the 
men  did  not  wait  to  unpack  the  animals,  but  would  walk 
up  to  an  animal,  and  tear  a  hole  in  a    sack  and  eat  the 


24  RAVENOUS    APPETITE. 

stuff  raw  the  same  as  if  it  was  apples. 

In  a  few  days  the  men  commenced  to  improve  in  looks 
and  health.  Uncle  Kit  had  them  to  exercise  some  every 
day  and  in  a  short  time  we  were  on  the  road  for  the 
Pacific  Coast.  We  had  no  trouble  until  we  crossed  the 
Main  Divide  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  It  was  on  a 
stream,  called  the  -^Blue,"  one  of  the  tributaries  of 
the  Colorado  river. 

We  were  now  in  the  Ute  Indian  country,  and  at 
this  time  they  were  considered  one  of  the  most  hostile 
tribes  in  the  west.  Of  course  there  was  no  one  in 
the  company  that  knew  what  the  Ute  Indians  were 
but  Kit  Carson.  When  we  stopped  at  noon  that  day 
Carson  told  us  as  we  sat  eating  our  luncheon  that  we 
were  now  in  the  Ute  country,  and  every  one  of  us 
must  keep  a  look  out  for  him-self.  He  said,  **now, 
boys,  don't  any  one  of  you,  get  a  hundred  yards  away 
from  the  rest  of  the  company,  for  the  Utes  are  like 
flees  liable  to  jump    on  you  at  any  time,   or  place." 

That  afternoon  we  run  on  a  great  deal  of  Indian 
sign,  from  the  fact  that  game  was  plentiful  all  over  the 
country,  and  at  this  time  of  the  year  the  Indians  were 
on  their  spring  hunt.  When  we  camped  for  the  night, 
we  camped  on  a  small  stream  where  there  was  but  very 
little  timber  and  no  under-brush  at  all.  As  soon  as  the 
company  was  settled  for  the  night,  Carson  and  I  mounted 
our  horses  and  took  a  circle  of  perhaps  a  mile  or    two 


G 

D 


76  TOO   MUCH  POWDER  WASTED 

God*s  sake,  don't  throw  away  your  powder  and  lead  in 
that  shape  again,  for  before  you  reach  Montarey, 
powder  and  lead  will  be  worth  something,  as  the  Red- 
skins are  as  thick  as  grass-hoppers,  in  August." 

Of  course  this  was  the  first  skirmish,  these  men  had 
ever  had  with  the  Indians  and  they  were  too  excited  to 
know  what  they  were  doing. 

About  six  years  ago  I  met  a  man  whose  name  was 
Labow.  He  was  the  last  surviver  of  that  company, 
with  the  exception  of  myself,  and  he  told  me  how  he 
felt  when  the  yelling  Red  skins  burst  upon  us.  Said  he, 
**I  don't  think  I  could  have  hit  an  Indian,  if  he  had  been 
as  big  as  the  side  of  a  horse,  for  I  was  shaking  worse 
than  I  would  if  I  had  had  the  third  day  Ague.  Not  only 
shaking,  but  I  was  cold  all  over,  and  I  dreamed  all  night, 
of  seeing  all  kinds  of  Indians." 

The  next  day  we  were  traveling  on  the  back  bone  of 
a  little  ridge.  There  was  no  timber  except  a  few  scat- 
tering Juniper  trees.  We  were  now  in  Arizona,  and 
water  was  very  scarce.  The  reader  will  understand, 
that  Carson  invariably  rode  from  fifty,  to  oae  hundred 
yards  ahead  of  the  com  n:iad,  and  I  alw  lys  rode  at  his 
side. 

I  presume  it  was  between  two  and  three  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon  when  Col.  Freemont  called  out  to  Carson 
**how  far  are  you  going  to  night.?'* 

Carson  studied  a  minute,  and  answered,  **I  think,  in 
seven  or  eight   miles  we  will  find  good  water,     and   a 


COL.  FREEMONT'S  MISTAKE.  Zf 

plenty  of  grass. 

A  few  minutes  after  this  Freemont  said,  **say, 
Carson,  why  not  go  to  that  lake  there  and  camp?  There 
is  plenty  of  grass  and  water,"  at  the  same  time  pointing 
to  the  south.  Carson  raised  his  head  and  looked  at  the 
point  indicated,  then  he  said,  **Col.  there  is  no  water  or 
grass  there:"  Freemont  replied,  **damn  it,  look.  Can*t 
you  see  it",  at  the  same  time  pointing  in  the  direction  of 
what  he  supposed  to  be  the  lake.  Carson  checked  his 
horse,  until  Freemont  came  up  near  him  and  then  said* 
Col.  spot  this  place  by  these  little  Juniper  trees,  and  we 
will  come  back  here  to-morrow  morning,  and  if  you  can 
see  a  lake  there  then  I  will  admit,  that  I  don't  know  any- 
thing about  this  country." 

Freemnot  was  out  of  humor  all  the  evening.  He  had 
nothing  to  say  to  any  person. 

The  next  morning  after  breakfast  was  over  and  the 
herder  had  driven  in  the  horses  Carson  said,  **now  Col- 
onel; let's  go  and  see  that  lake:" 

Under  the  circumstances  Freemont  could  not  say  **no." 
I  think  five  of  us  besides  Carson  and  Freemont  went 
back.  When  we  came  to  the  place  where  the  little 
Juniper  trees  were,  Freemont's  face  showed  that  he  was 
badly  whipped  for  sure  enough  there  was  no  lake  there; 
he  had  seen  what  is  called  a  mirage. 

I  have  seen  almost  everything  in  mirage  form,  but 
what  causes  this  Atmospheric  optical  illusion  has  never 
been  explained  to  my  satisfaction.     Some  men  say  it  is 


28  SAVAGES  IN  LOOKS  AND  ACTS. 

imagination,  but  I  do  not  think  it  is  so. 

On  our  way  back  to  camp  a  man  by  name  of  Cum- 
mings  was  riding  by  my  side.  He  made  the  remark  in 
an  undertone,  **I  am  sorry  this  thing  happened. "  I 
asked  him,"  why  .^  In  reply  he  said,  * 'Colonel  Freemont 
won't  get  over  this  in  many  a  day,  for  Carson  has  shown 
him  that  he  can    be  mistaken." 

We  laid  over  at  this  camp  until  the  next  day  as  this  was 
good  water  and  exceptionaly  good  grass.  Nothing  inter- 
fered with  us  until  we  struck  the  Colorado  river.  Here  we 
metquiteabandof  Umer  Indians.  Without  any  exception 
they  were  the  worst  looking  human  beings  that  I  have  ever 
seen  in  my  life.  A  large  majority  of  them  were  as  naked  as 
they  were  when  they  were  born.  Their  hair  in  many  in- 
stances looked  as  if  it  never  had  been  straightened 
out.  They  lived  mostly  on  pine  nuts.  The  nuts  grow 
on  alow,  scrubby  tree  a  species  of  Pine,  and  ingathering 
the  nuts  they  covered  their  hands  with  gum  which  is  as 
sticky  as  tar  and  rub  it  on  their  bodies  and  in  their  hair. 
The  reader  may  imagine  the  effect;  I  am  satisfied  that 
many  of  these  Indians  had  never  seen  a  white  man  be- 
fore they  saw  us.  Very  few  of  them  had  bows  and 
arrows;  they  caught  fish.  How  they  caught  them  I 
never  knew,  but  I   often    saw  the  squaws  carrying  fish. 

When  we  reached  the  Colorado  river  we  stayed  two 
days  making  raftes,  to  cross  the  river  on.  The  last  day 
we  were  there,  laying  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  I  presume 
there  came  five  hundred  of  these    Indians   within    fifty 


Horse  Back— Comanche  Chief. 


WHERE  A  GUNSHOT  IS  A  NOVELTY.  29 

yards  of  our  camp.  Most  of  them  laid  down  under  the 
trees.  One  of  our  men  shot  a  bird  that  was  in  a  tree 
close  by,  and  I  never  heard  such  shouting  or  saw  such 
running  as  these  Indians  did  when  the  gun  cracked. 
This  convinced  me  that  we  were  the  first  white  men  they 
had  ever  seen,  and  this  the  first  time  they  had  heard  the 
report  of  a  gun.  This  incident  occured  in  forty-eight, 
which  was  fifty-eight  years  ago.  I  have  seen  more  or 
less  of  these  Indians  from  that  time  until  now,  and  ttiese 
Indians  as  a  tribe  have  made  less  progress  then  any 
other  Indians  in  the  west.  Even  after  the  railroad  was 
put  through  that  part  of  the  country,  they  had  to  be 
forced  to  cover  them  selves  with  clothes. 

After  crossing  the  Colorado  river  we  came  into  the 
Ute  country,  but  we  traveled  several  days  without  seeing 
any  of  this  tribe,  About  five  days  after  we  crossed  the 
Colorado  river,  we  came  on  to  a  big  band  of  Sighwash 
Indians.  The  tribe  was  just  coming  together,  after  a 
winter's  trapping  and  hunting.  At  this  time  the  Sigh- 
washes  were  a  powerful  tribe,  but  not  hostile  to  the 
whites, 

We  camped  near  their  village  that  night.  After  sup- 
per Carson  and  I  went  over  to  this  village,  at  the  same 
time  taking  a  lot  of  butcher  knives  and  cheap  jewelry 
with  us,  that  he  had  brought  along  to  trade  with  the 
Indians.  When  we  got  into  their  camp,  Carson  inquired 
where  the  chiefs  wigwam,  was.  The  Indians  could  all 
speak  Spanish   therefore  we  had    no  trouble  in   finding 


30  TRADING  JEWELRY  FOR  FURS. 

the  chief.  When  we  went  into  the  chief's  wigwam  after 
shaking  hands  with  the  old  chief  and  his  squaw  Carson 
pulled  some  of  the  jewelry  out  of  his  pocket  and  told  the 
chief  that  he  wanted  to  trade  for  furs.  The  old  chief 
stepped  to  the  entrance  of  the  wigwam  and  made  a 
peculiar  noise  between  a  whistle  and  a  hollo,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  there  were  hundreds  of  Indians  there  both 
bucks  and  squaws. 

The  old  chief  made  a  little  talk  to  them  that  I  did  not 
understand,  he  then  turned  to  Carson  and  said,  **Indian 
heap  like  white  man." 

Carson  then  spoke  out  loud  so  they  could  all  hear  him, 
at  the  same  time  holding  up  some  jewelry  in  one  hand 
and  a  butcher  knife  in  the  other,  telling  them  that  he 
wanted  to  trade  these  things  for  their  furs. 

The  Indians  answered,  it  seemed  to  me  by  the 
hundreds,  saying,  **iyah  oyah  iyah,"  which  means  **all 
right."  Carson  then  told  them  to  bring  their  furs  over 
to  his  camp  the  next  morning,  and  he  would  then  trade 
with  them.      He  was  speaking  in  Spanish  all   this  time. 

On  our  way  back  to  our  camp  Carson  said  to  me,  *  *now 
Willie,  if  I  trade  for  those  furs  in  the  morning  I  want  you 
and  the  other  two  boys  to  take  the  furs  and  go  back  to 
Taus;  I  know  that  you  will  have  a  long  and  lonesome 
trip,  but  I  will  try  and  get  three  or  four  of  these  Indians 
to  go  with  you  back  to  the  head  of  the  Blue  and  be  very 
careful,  and  when  you  make  a  camp  always  put  out  all 
of  your  fire  as  soon  as  you  get  your   meal  cooked,    thea 


WITH  FRIENDLY  INDIANS.  JI 

the  Indians  can  not  see  your  camp.** 

The  next  morning  we  were  up  and  had  an  early  break' 
fast,  by  that  time  the  squaws  had  commenced  coming  in 
with  their  furs.  Uncle  Kit  took  a  pack  of  jewelry,  and 
knives  and  got  off  to  one  side  where  the  Indians  could 
get  all  around  him.  In  a  very  short  time  I  think  there 
must  have  been  a  hundred  squaws  there   with  their  furs. 

They  brought  from  one  to  a  dozen  Beaver  skins  each, 
and  then  the  Bucks  began  coming  in  and  then  the  trad- 
ing began.  Carson  would  hold  up  a  finger  ring  or  a 
knife  and  call  out  in  Spanish,"  I'll  give  this  for  so  many 
Beaver  skins!" 

It  really  was  amusing  to  see  the  Indians  run  over 
each  other  to  see  who  should  get  the  ring   or  knife  first. 

This  trading  did  not  last  over  half  an  hour  because 
Carson's  stock  of  goods  was  exhausted.  Carson  then 
said  to  the  Indians,  **no  more  trade  no  more  knives,  no 
more  rings,  all  gone.*' 

Of  course  a  great  many  of  the  Indians  were  disappoint- 
ed, but  they  soon  left  us.  As  soon  as  they  were  gone 
Fremont  came  to  Carson  and  said,  **what  in  the  name 
of  common  sense  are  you  going  to  do  with  all  those 
furs.?" 

Uncle  Kit  said,  **Col.  I'm  going  to  send  them  to  Taos; 
and  later  on  they  will  go  to  Bent's  Fort:**  The  Col. 
said,  **yes,  but  by  whom  will  you  send  them  to  Taos.?" 
Carson  replied,   **by  Willie,  John  and  the  Mexican  boy." 

The  Col.    said,    *'don*t  you  think   you   are  taking  a 


33  THE    colonel's    FEAR. 

great  many  chances?"  *'0h,  no,  not  at  all.  Willie  here 
is  getting  to  be  quite  a  mountaineer,  besides  I  am  going 
to  get  some  of  these  Indians  to  go  with  the  boys  as  far 
as  the  head  of  the  Blue,  and  when  they  get  there  they 
are,  comparatively  speaking,  out  of  danger. 

He  then  said,  '*Colonel,  we  will  lay  over  here  to-day, 
and  that  will  give  me  a  chance  to  pack  my  furs  and  get 
the  boys  ready  to  start  in  the  morning." 

We  then  went  to  work  baling  the  hides;  by  noon  we 
had  them  all  baled.  After  dinner  Carson  and  I  went 
over  to  the  Indian  camp.  We  went  directly  to  the 
Chief's  wigwam.  When  the  Indians  saw  us  coming  they 
all  rushed  up  to  us.  I  presume  they  thought  we  had 
come  to  trade  with  them  again.  Uncle  Kit  then  told  the 
Chief  that  he  wanted  eight  Indian  men  to  go  with  us 
boys  to  the  head  of  the  Blue  River.  At  the  same  time  he 
sat  down  and  marked  on  the  ground  each  stream  and 
mountain  that  he  wanted  us  to  travel  over.  He  told 
them  that  he  would  give  each  one  of  them  one  butcher 
knife  and  two  rings,  and  said  they  must  not  camp  with 
the  Utes. 

I  think  there  were  at  least  twenty  Indians  that  wanted 
to  go.  Carson  then  turned  to  the  Chief  and  told  him  in 
Spanish  to  pick  out  eight  good  Indians  to  go  with  us, 
and  told  him  just  what  time  we  wanted  to  start  in  the 
morning.  We  then  went  back  to  our  camp  and  com- 
menced making  arrangements  for  our  journey  to  Taos. 

Carson  and  I  were  sitting  down  talking  that  afternoon 


TAKING  DESPERATE  CHANCES.  33 

when  Col.  Freemont  came  and  sat  beside  us  and  said  to 
Uncle  Kit,  **Say,  Kit,  aint  you  taking  desperate  chances 
with  these  boys.^'* 

This  surprised  me,  for  I  had  never  heard  him  address 
Carson  as  Kit  before  in  all    the  time  I    had  known  him, 

Carson  laughed  and  answered,  **not  in  the  least,  for 
they  have  got  a  good  escort  to  go  with  them."  Then  he 
explained  to  Freemont  that  he  had  hired  some  Indians 
to  go  with  us  through  the  entire  hostile  country,  telling 
him  that  the  boys  were  just  as  safe  with  those  Indians 
as  they  would  be  with  the  command,  and  more  safe,  for 
the  Indians  would  protect  them,  thinking,  they  would 
get  his  trade,  by  so  doing.  Uncle  Kit  then  explained  to 
him  that  the  Sighwashes  were  known  to  all  the  tribes  on 
the  coast  and  were  on  good  terms  with  them  all,  and 
therefor  there  was  no  danger  whatever  in  sending  the 
boys  through  the  Indian  country.  The  Col.  answered, 
**Of  course,  you  know  best;  I  admit  that  you  know  the 
nature  of  the  Indian  thoroughly,  but  I  must  say  that  I 
shall  be  uneasy  until  I  hear  from  the  boys  again. 

Uncle  Kit  said,  "wait  until  tomorrow  morning,  and  I 
will  convince  you  that  lam  right." 

The  next  morning  we  were  up  early  and  had  breakfast, 
and  before  we  had  our  animals  half  packed  the  old  chief 
and  hundreds  of  the  Indians  were  there.  Those  that  the 
chief  had  selected  to  accompany  us  were  on  horse  back, 
and  the  others  had  come  to  bid  us  farewell,  and  that 
was  one  of  the  times  I  was  tired  shaking  hands. 


34  THE    PARTING  WITH  THE  FRIENDLY  TRIBE. 

When  we  were  about  ready  to  mount  our  horses  and 
had  shaken  hands  with  Uncle  Kit  and  the  balance  of  the 
company  the  Indians  made  a  rush  for  us.  Both  bucks 
and  squaws,  shouted,  "ideose,  ideose,"  which  means, 
*'good  bye,  good  bye,"  and  everyone  trying  to  shake  our 
hands  at  once,  and  of  all  the  noise,  I  ever  heard,  this 
was  the  worst.  After  this  racket  had  been  going  on 
some  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes,  I  turned  and  saw  Uncle 
Kit  and  Col.  Freemont  standing  on  a  big  log  laughing, 
like  they  would  split  their  sides.  Finally  Uncle  Kit 
motioned  for  me  to  mount  my  horse.  I  mounted  and 
the  other  boys  followed  suit,  and  when  we  started  of  all 
the  noise  that  ever  was  made  this  beat  any  I  ever  heard 
in  all  my  life.  At  the  same  time  the  Indians  were  wav- 
ing their  hands  at  us. 

As  soon  as  we  left  the  crowd  of  Indians  Uncle  Kit  and 
Col.  Freemont  joined  us.  The  Col.  said  to  me,  ** Willie. 
this  is  one  of  the  times  you  have  had  your  hand  well 
shaken,  I  really  felt  sorry  for  you,  but  I  didn't  see  how  I 
could  assist  you,  and  I  am  in  hopes  you  will  not  get  such 
a  shaking  up  in  a  good  while.  Now,  my  boy,  be  very 
careful,  and  try  and  get  through  safe  and  sound,  and 
when  we  come  along  back  next  fall,  we  will  all  go  to  St. 
Louis  together," 

Uncle  Kit  told  me  to  not  let  the  Indians  turn  back 
until  we  crossed  the  divide  at  the  head  of  Blue  river. 
He  said,  *'then  you  will  be  out  of  the  Ute  country,  and 
all  danger  to    you  will  be  over,  but  do  not  put    too  much 


OFF  ON  A  DANGEROUS   TRIP.  35 

confidence  in  these  Indians  although  I  think  they  are  re- 
liable and  will  do  just  as  I  have  told  them  to  do.  But  I 
want  you  to  be  on  the  lookout  all  the  time  your  self.  I 
know  there  will  be  no  danger  in  the  day-time,  and  when 
night  comes  be  sure  and  put  your  fire  out  before  it  gets 
dark,  and  when  you  get  to  Taos  rest  up  a  few  days,  and 
then  hunt  up  Jim  Bridger,  or  Jim  Beckwith,  and  they 
will  advise  you  what  to  do.  It  may  be  that  I  will  get 
home  my  self,  in  which  case  you  will  not  need  their 
advise. " 

We  now  bid  them  **good  bye"  and  started  on  what 
would  be  called  now  a  long,  tedious  and  dangerous 
journey,  but  at  that  time  we  thought  nothing  of  it. 

How  long  a  time  it  took  us  to  make  this  trip,  I  do  not 
remember.  The  Indians  traveled  in  the  lead  the  most 
of  the  time,  When  near  the  middle  of  the  afternoon, 
I  would  ask  them  in  Spanish,  how  far  they  were  going 
to  night,  and  they  would  tell  me  the  number  of  hours  it 
would  take  to  go  but  seemed  not  to  understand  the  dis- 
tance by  miles.  The  Indians  showed  more  judgment 
in  selecting  the  camping  ground  than  I  expected  they 
would. 

In  a  few  days  we  were  in  the  Ute  country,  and  we  saw 
plenty  of  Indian  sign  every  day.  I  think  it  was  on  one 
of  the  tributaries  of  the  Green  river,  we  were  traveling 
along  one  afternoon,  we  came  in  sight  of  a  band  of  Ute 
Indians.  They  were  in  camp.  We  were  in  about  a 
half  a  mile  of  them   when  we    first  saw  them ;  they    were 


36  HOSTILITY  AVOIDED. 

directly  to  the  north  of  us,  and  they  discovered  us  at  ths 
same  time  we  saw  them.  As  soon  as  the  Sigh  washes  sa\i^ 
the  Utes  they  stopped,  and  two  of  the  Sighewashes  rod^ 
back  to  us  and  said  in  Spanish,  *  *we  go  see  Utes, "  and 
they  rode  over  to  the  Ute  camp.  Probably  they  werQ 
gone  a  half  hour  or  more,  when  they  returned,  and  WQ 
surely  watched  every  move  the  Utes  made  till  the  Sighe* 
washes  came  back  to  us.  When  they  came  back  thej^ 
were  laughing  and  said  to  us,  **Utes  heap  good."  Thei3 
I  was  satisfied  that  we  were  in  no  danger. 

We  traveled  on  some  five  or  six  miles  when  we  cam@ 
to  a  nice  little  stream  of  water  where  there  was  fin@ 
grass.  I  said  to  the  boys,  * 'we'll  camp  here,  now  yoi| 
boys  unpack  the  animals  and  take  them  out  to  grass^' 
and  I  will  go  and  kill  some  meat  for  supper." 

I  picked  up  my  gun  and  started;  I  didn't  go  over  d 
quarter  of  a  mile  till  I  saw  four  Bison  cows,  and  they  all 
had  calves  with  them.  I  crawled  up  in  shooting  distance 
and  killed  one  of  the  calves.  At  the  crack  of  my  gun  th^ 
cows  ran  away.  I  commenced  dressing  the  calf  and  hero 
came  four  of  my  Sighewash  Indians  running  to  me,  and 
when  they  saw  what  I  had  killed,  I  believe  they  were  th^ 
happiest  mortals  that  I  ever  saw. 

As  soon  as  I  got  the  insides  out  I  told  them  to  pick  up 
the  calf,  and   we   would   go  to   camp.     Some   of   theiQi 
picked  up  the  carcass  and  others  picked  up  the  entrails,! 
I  told  them  we  did  not   want  the  entrails.      One   of  tfcdV 
Indians  spoke  up  and  said,  **heap  good,    all  same    goc^k 


AN  Indian's  appetite.  37 

meat".     I   finally  persuaded  them  to  leave   the   insides 
alone. " 

When  we  got  back  to  camp,  the  boys  had  a  good  fire, 
and  it  was  not  long  before  we  had  plenty  of  meat  around 
the  fire,  and  I  never  saw  Indians  eat  as  they  did  that 
night.  After  they  had  been  eating  about  an  hour,  Jonnie 
West  said  to  me,  *  'Will,  you  will  have  to  go  and  kill 
more  meat,  or  we  won't  have  any  for  breakfast.'* 

We  soon  turned  in  for  the  night  and  left  the  Indians 
still  cooking.  In  the  morning  we  were  surprised  to  see 
the  amount  of  meat  they  had  got  away  with.  What 
they  ate  that  night  would  have  been  plenty  for  the  same 
number  of  white  men  three  or  four  days.  The  nature 
of  the  Indian  is  to  eat  when  he  has  the  chance  and 
when  he  hasn't  he  goes  without  and  never  complains. 

For  the  next  three  days  we  traveled  through  a  country 
well  supplied  with  game,  especially  Elk,  Deer,  and 
black  bear.  It  was  now  late  in  the  summer  and  all 
game  was  in  a  fine  condition,  it  was  no  unusual  thing  to 
see  from  twenty  ffve  to  a  hundred  Elk  in  a  band.  I  have 
never  seen  since  that  time  so  many  Elk  with  so  large 
horns,  as  I  saw  on  that  trip,  which  convinced  me,  that 
there  had  been  no  white  hunters  through  that  part  of  the 
country  before. 

In  traveling  along  there  were  times  we  were  not  out  of 
sight  of  deer  for  hours,  consequently  we  never  killed  our 
game  for  supper  until  we  went  into  camp,  and  as  a  rule, 
the  boys  always  picked  me  to  get  the  meat  while  they  took 


38  A    BEAR  CUB    FOR    SUPPER 

care  of  the  horses.  I  remember  one  evening,  I  was  Just 
getting  ready  to  start  out  on  my  hunt,  I  asked  the  boys 
what  kind  of  meat  they  wanted  for  supper.  Jonny 
West  said,  **give  us  somethig  new.*'  Well  I  answered, 
**how  will  a  cub  bear  do.^**  They  all  answered,  **that  is 
just  what  we  want."  That  moment  I  turned  my  eyes  to 
the  south,  and  on  a  ridge  not  more  than  three  hundred 
yards  from  camp,  I  saw  three  bears  eating  sarvis  berries. 
I  was  not  long  in  getting  into  gun  shot  of  them.  There 
was  the  old  mother  bear  and  two  cubs.  I  had  to  wait 
several  minutes  before  I  could  get  a  good  sight  on  the 
one  I  wanted,  as  they  were  in  the  brush,  and  I  wanted  a 
sure  shot.  I  fired  and  broke  his  neck;  he  had  hardly 
done  kicking,  before  Jonny  West  and  some  of  the  Ind- 
ians were  there.  We  made  quick  work  getting  the  meat 
\o  camp  and  around  the  fire  cooking  and  it  was  as  fine  a 
piece  of  meat  as  I  ever  ate. 

The  next  morning  we  bid  the  Indians  good  bye,  but 
before  they  left  us,  one  of  them  stooped  down  and  with 
a  finger  marked  out  the  route  we  should  take,  thinking 
we  did  not  know  the  country  we  must  pass  over,  and 
strange  to  say,  the  route,  this  wild  Indian  marked  out 
in  the  sand,  was  accurate  in  every  particular.  He  made 
dots  for  the  places  where  we  should  camp,  and  a  little 
mark  for  a  stream  of  water,  then  little  piles  of  sand  for 
mountains,  some  large  and  some  small,  according  to  the 
size  of  the  mountain  we  were  to  cross.  After  he  had 
finished  his  work,  I  examined  the  diagram  and  I  found  he 


THE    DELIGHTED    INDIANS.  39 

had  marked  out  every  place  where  we  should  camp. 

From  there  to  the  head  of  the  Arkansas  river,  I  called 
Jonnie  West  and  asked  him  to  look  at  it.  He  examined 
it  at  every  point,  and  said,  *  'this  beats  any  thing  I  ever 
saw  or  heard  tell  of;  with  this  to  guide  us,  we  could  not 
get  lost  if  we  tried  to". 

We  were  now  ready  to  start.  Jonny  said  to  me, 
**well,  I  feel  we  owe  this  Indian  something.  How  many 
butcher  knives  have  you.^" 

I  said,  **I  have  two,"  * 'Alright,  I  will  give  him  this 
finger  ring  and  you  give  him  one  of  your  knives." 

We  did  so,  and  I  think  he  was  the  proudest  Indian  I 
ever  saw;  he  jumped  up  and  shouted  "hy-you-scu-scum, 
white  man,"  which  meant,  **good  white  man.'* 

The  Indians  all  shook  hands  with  us  and  then  mounted 
their  horses  and  were  gone.  We  now  pulled  out  on  our 
long  and  dangerous  trip  to  Taos,  New  Mexico,  and 
strange  to  say,  we  never  missed  a  camping-ground  that 
the  Indians  had  marked  out  for  us,  until  we  reached  the 
head  of  the  Arkansas  river,  and  the  beauty  of  it  was,  we 
had  good  grass  and  good  water  at  every  camping  place, 
which  was  very  essential  for  ourselves  and  our  horses. 

When  we  struck  the  head  of  the  Arkansas  river  we 
considered  ourselves  out  of  danger  of  all  hostile  Indians, 
besides  we  knew  every  foot  of  the  ground  we  had  to 
travel  over  from  here  to  Taos,  New  Mexico.  We  camp- 
ed one  night  on  the  river,  down  below  where  Leadville 
stands  now,  and  I  never  saw   so  many  huckle-berries  at 


40  RARE    LUXURIES. 

one  place  as  I  saw  there.  After  we  had  our  horses  un- 
packed and  staked  out  to  grass,  I  said  to  the  boys,  **now, 
you  go  and  pick  berries,  and  I  will  try  and  find  some 
meat  for  supper."  I  did  not  go  far  when  looking  up  on 
a  high  bluff  I  saw  a  band  of  mountain  sheep.  I  noticed 
they  had  not  seen  me  yet  and  were  coming  directly  to- 
wards me.  When  they  got  in  gun-shot  I  fired  and  killed 
a  half  grown  sheep,  and  he  did  not  stop  kicking  until  he 
was  nearly  at  my  feet.  This  was  the  first  mountain 
sheep  I  had  ever  killed,  and  it  was  as  fine  apiece  of  meat 
as  I  ever  ate,  and  until  this  day,  mountain  sheep  is  my 
favorite  wild  meat.  This  was  one  of  the  nights  to  be 
remembered,  fine  fresh  meat,  and  ripe  huckle-berries, 
what  luxuries,  for  the  wilds  to  produce. 

In  a  few  days  we  reached  Taos,  and  here  I  met  my 
old  friend  Jim  Bridger.  After  laying  around  a  few  days 
and  resting  up,  Jonnie  West  said  to  me,  **Will,  what  are 
we  going  to  do  this  winter.?  You  are  like  me,  you  can't 
lay  around  without  going  wild." 

I  said,  **that's  so,  Jonny,  Let's  go  and  hunt  up  Jim 
Bridger,  and  ask  him  what  he  is  going  to  do  this 
winter." 

We  went  to  the  house  where  Jim  was  boarding  and 
we  found  him  in  one  of  his  talkative  moods.  We  asked 
him  what  he  proposed  doing  this  winter;  he  said,  **I  am 
going  out  a  trapping,  and  I  want  you  boys  to  go  with 
me. 

I  asked  him  where  he  was  going  to   trap,  and    he  said 


SETTING  BEAVER  TRAPS.  4I 

he  thought  he  would  trap  on  the  head  of  the  Cache-la- 
Poudre  and  the  quicker  we  went  the  better  it  would  be 
for  us.  **I  have  all  the  traps  we  will  need  this  winter," 
he  said;  *'now  you  boys  go  to  work  and  mould  a  lot  of 
bullets." 

The  reader  will  understand  that  in  those  days  we  used 
the  muzzle  loading  gun,  and  we  had  to  mould  all  of  our 
bullets.  In  a  few  days  we  were  ready  to  pull  out.  I 
asked  Jim  if  we  could  keep  our  horses  with  us  through 
the  winter.  He  said,  *'Yes,  as  the  snow  does  not  get 
very  deep  in  that  country,  and  there  is  plenty  of  Cotton 
Wood  and  Quaker  Asp  for  them  to  browse  on  in  case 
the  snow  gets  deep.  Besides  it  will  save  one  of  us  a  long 
tramp  in  the  spring,  for  we  will  have  to  have  the  horses 
in  order  to  pack  our  furs  on." 

In  a  few  days  we  were  ready  to  pull  for  trapping 
ground.  Each  one  of  us  took  a  saddle  horse  and  two 
pack  horses.  We  were  on  the  road  nine  days  from  the 
day  we  left  Taos  until  we  reached  our  trapping  ground. 

We  traveled  down  Cherry  Creek  from  its  source  to  its 
mouth,  and  across  the  Platte,  where  Denver  City,  Colo- 
rado, now  stands.  At  that  time  there  was  not  a  sign  of 
civilization  in  all  that  country. 

After  crossing  the  Platte  a  little  below  where  Denver 
now  stands,  we  met  about  five  hundred  Kiawa  Indians, 
led  by  their  old  chief.  The  Kiawas  were  friendly  to  us 
and  the  chief  was  a  particular  friend  of  Jim.  He  wanted 
to  trade  for  some  of  our  beaver  traps.      He  kept  bidding 


42        A  BUFFALO  ROBE  THAT  WAS  STOCKED. 

until  he  offered  two  horses  for  one  trap,  Jim  refused  to 
trade,  but  he  made  the  chief  a  present  of  a  trap.  After 
Jim  refused  to  take  the  horses,  a  young  squaw  came 
running  out  and  offered  to  give  me  as  fine  a  buffalo  robe 
as  I  ever  saw;  I  was  in  the  act  of  taking  it,  and  was  con- 
gratulating my  self  on  what  a  fine  bed  I  would  have 
that  winter,  when  Jim  said/ 'Will,  don't  take  that,  there  is 
more  stock  on  that  robe  then  we  can  feed  this  winter. 
Open  the  hair  and  look  for  yourself." 

I  did  so,  and  I  saw  the  ''Grey  Backs  all  through  the 
hair  as  thick  as  they  could  crawl.  I  had  never  seen  such 
a  sight  before,  and  the  reader  can  imagine  my  horror,  I 
dropped  it  so  quick,  that  Jonnie  West  laughed  and  asked 
me  if  it  burnt  me.  The  boys  had  the  joke  on  me  the 
balance  of  the  winter,  most  every  day,  they  would  ask 
me  if  I  did'nt  want  a  present  of  a  Buffalo  robe  from  a 
young  squaw. 

A  few  days  after  this,  we  were  on  our  trapping  ground, 
and  our  winter's  work  of  toil,  hardship,  and  pleasure  had 
begun.  We  soon  had  our  cabin  built  in  a  little  valley, 
which  was  from  a  half  mile  to  a  mile  wide,  and  about 
eight  miles  long.  On  each  side  of  the  valley  were  high 
cliffs.  In  places  there  was  a  half  a  mile  or  more  where 
neither  man  or  beast  could  climb  these  cliffs,  and  we 
were  surprised  later  on  to  see  the  quantity  of  game  of 
various  kinds  that  came  into  this  valley  to  winter,  such  as 
Elk,  Deer,  and  Antelope.  I  never,  before  or  since,  have 
seen  so  many  Wild  Cats,  or  Bob  Cats,  as  they  were  called 


A  BATTLE  WITH  WILD  CATS.  43 

at  that  time,  and  also  some  cougars. 

I  remember  one  little  circumstance  that  occurred  later 
on;  it  was  about  the  middle  of  the  afternoon;  we  had  all 
been  to  our  traps,  and  had  returned  to  the  cabin  with  our 
furs.  Jim  said:  *'WilI,  we  will  stretch  your  furs  if  you 
will  go  and  shoot  a  deer  for  supper." 

This  suited  me,  so  I  took  my  gun  and  went  outside 
the  door  to  clean  it.  Just  as  I  had  got  through  Jonnie 
West  looked  out,  and  said,  *'Look,  Will,  there  is  your 
deer  now;  you  won't  have  to  hunt  him." 

I  looked,  and  sure  enough,  there  he  was,  in  about  a 
hundred  yards  of  the  cabin.  Jim  Bridger  fired  at  him, 
and  knocked  him  down,  but  he  got  up  and  ran  into  a 
little  bunch  of  brush.  I  ran  to  the  spot,  thinking  he  was 
only  wounded,  and  that  I  should  have  to  shoot  him  again. 
When  I  reached  the  brush,  to  my  surprise,  I  found  five 
big  wildcats,  and  they  all  came  for  me  at  once.  I  fired 
at  the  leader,  and  then  I  did  some  lively  running  myself. 
As  soon  as  I  got  out  of  the  brush  I  called  the  boys,  and 
we  got  the  cats,  the  whole  of  the  bunch,  and  the  deer 
besides,  which  had  not  been  touched  by  the  cats. 

We  skinned  the  cats,  and  Jim  afterwards  made  a  cap 
out  of  one  of  them,  and  he  wore  it  for  several  years. 

Jonnie  West  and  I  were  out  hunting  one  day  for  deer, 
when  we  discovered  two  cougars  in  the  grass,  and  we  could 
not  make  out  what  it  meant.  Finally  one  made  a 
spring,  and  it  seemed  to  us  that  he  jumped  at  least 
twenty  feet,  and  he  landed  on  a  deer,  and  for  a  minute 


44  GETTING    A   COUGAR   SKIN. 

or  twc  there  was  a  tussel.  While  this  was  going  on 
Jonni3  and  I  were  getting  closer  to  them,  and  when  they 
had  the  deer  killed  we  were  within  gunshot  of  them,  and 
they  aidn't  eat  much  before  we  killed  them  both.  We 
skinned  the  deer  and  also  the  cougars,  and  took  them  to 
camp,  and  when  we  went  to  Bent's  Fort  the  next  spnng 
we  got  twenty  dollars  apiece  for  them,  for  they  were  extra 
large  cougars,  or  mountain  lions,  as  they  are  sometimes 
called,  and  their  hides  are  very  valuable. 

It  seems  wonderful  to  me  when  I  think  of  the  amount 
of  game  I  saw  through  the  country  at  that  time,  of  all 
descriptions,  some  of  which  in  their  wild  state  are  now 
exanct,  especially  the  buffalo  and  the  bison,  and  all 
other  game  that  was  so  plentiful  at  that  time  is  very 
scarce  all  over  the  west.  I  believe  a  man  could  have 
seen  a  thousand  antelope  any  day  in  the  year  within  five 
miles  of  where  the  city  of  Denver  now  stands. 

We  had  splendid  success  this  winter  in  trapping 
beaver.  It  was  late  in  the  spring  when  we  left  our  trap- 
ping ground.  Just  before  we  pulled  out  Jim  Bridger  said: 
**Boys,  I  saw  a  pretty  sight  this  evening  out  at  the 
point  of  rocks,*'  which  was  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from 
our  cabin.     Jonnie   West   said,    **What    did   you    see, 

Jim  r 

**I  saw  an  old  Cinamon  bear  and  two  cubs."  Jonnie 
said,  *'Why  didn't  you  kill  her  r 

*'I  didn't  have  anything  to  kill  with,"  Jim  replied.  *•! 
left  my  gun  in  the  cabin,  but  we  will  all  go  out  in  the 


7iM*s  CUBS.  45 

morning  and  see  if  we  can  find  them. " 

We  were  all  up  early  in  the  morning  and  ready  for  the 
bear  hunt.     Jim  told    us    what  route  each    should  take, 
he  said,  *'now  boys,  be  careful,  for  she  is  an  old  whale, 
and  if  you  get  in  to  a   fight  with  her   some    one  will  get 
hurt,  or  there  will  be  some  running  done." 

I  had  not  gone  far,  when  I  looked  up  on  a  ridge  ahead 
of  me  and  saw  what  I  took  to  be  Mrs.  Bruin;  I  crawled 
up  within  gun  shot,  and  fired  and  broke  the  bear's  neck. 
I  rushed  up  to  her  expecting  to  see  the  cubs.  Imagine  my 
surprise  when  I  found  only  a  small  bear.  In  a  few 
moments  the  boys  were  there;  Jonnie  laughed  and  asked 
Jim  if  that  bear,  was  the  whale,  he  set  out  to  kill.  Jim 
stood  and  looked  at  the  bear,  quite  a  bit  before  answer- 
ing, then  he  said,  **that  is  a  Cinamon  Bear,  but  where 
are  the  cubsi''*  Jonnie  said,  *  'I  will  bet  my  hat  you  did'nt 
see  any  cuds,  Jim,  you  dreamed  it.''  Jim  grinned,  and 
answered,  *'Well,  boys  I  guess  you  have  the  drop  on 
me  this  time." 

From  that  on,  all  the  spring  Jim's  cubs  was  a  standing 
joke.  In  a  few  days,  we  palled  out  for  Bents  Fort; 
we  were  ^ate  in  getting  to  the  Fort  with  our  furs,  this 
spring,  Mr,  Bent,  asked  us  why  we  were  so  late  in  getting 
in.  Jonnie  replied  that  Jim  kept  us  hunting  for  Cub 
bears  all  the  spring,  and  as  we  could'nt  find  any,  it  took 
all  our  time.  Of  course  they  all  wanted  to  know  the 
joke,  and  when  Jonnie  told  it  in  his  droll  way,  it  made  a 
Uugh  on  Jim.      **If  you  will  only  quit  talking  about  the 


46  HOW  THE  TRAPPER  SPENDS  HIS  MONEY. 

cubs,"  Jim  said,  **rii  treat  all  around,"  which  costs  him 
about  ten  dollars. 

After  laying  around  the  Fort  a  few  days,  Col  Bent  and 
Mr.  Roubidoux  hired  Jonnie  and  me  to  kill  meat  to  supply 
the  table  at  the  boarding  house,  for  the  summer,  that 
being  the  only  time  of  the  year  that  the  boarding  house 
at  the  Fort,  did  any  business.  At  this  time  of  the  year 
all  of  the  trappers  and  hunters  were  staying  at  the  fort 
with  nothing  to  do  but  eat,  drink  and  spend  their  money, 
that  they  had  earned  the  winter  before.  It  was  no  un- 
common thing  for  some  of  these  men  to  bring  from  three 
to  four  hundred  dollars  worth  of  furs  to  Bents-Fort  in  the 
spring,  and  when  fall  came,  and  it  was  time  to  go  back 
to  the  trapping  ground,  they  would'nt  have  a  dollar  left, 
and  some  of  them  had  to  go  in  debt  for  their  winter  out 
fit. 

Jonnie  and  I  had  no  trouble  in  keeping  plenty  of  meat 
on  hand,  from  the  fact  that  buffalo,  and  antelope,  were 
very  plentiful  eight  or  ten  miles  from  the  fort.  I  rem- 
ember one  little  circumstance,  thatoccured  this  summer. 
We  were  out  hunting,  not  far  from  the  Arkansas  river, 
near  the  city  now  known  as  Rocky  Ford,  Colo.  We 
had  camped  there  the  night  before,  we  went  out  early  in 
the  morning  to  kill  some  antelope,  leaving  our  horses 
staked  where  we  bad  camped.  We  had'nt  gone  more 
than  half  a  mile,  when  we  heard  a  Lofa  wolf  howl,  just 
ahead  of  us.  The  Lofa  wolf  was  a  very  large  and  ferocious 
animal  and  was  a  terror  to  the  buffalo.  When  we  reached 


A  BATTLE  BETWEEN  LOFA  WOLVES  AND  A  BUFFALO       4/ 

the  top  of  a  ridge  just  ahead  of  us,  looking  down  into  a 
little  valley  two  or  three  hundred  yards  away,  we  saw 
five  Buffalo  ccws  with  their  Cftlves,  and  one  large  bull, 
and  they  were  entirely  surrounded  by  Lofa- Wolves. 
Jonnie  said.  **now,  Will,  we  will  see  some  fun.  *'The  cows 
were  trying  to  defend  their  calves  from  the  wolves,  and 
the  bull  started  off  with  his  head  lowered  to  the  ground 
trying  to  drive  the  wolves  away  with  his  horns.  This 
he  continued  to  do  until  he  nad  driven  the  wolves 
thirty  yards  away.  All  at  once  a  wolf  made  a  bark,  and 
a  howl,  which  seemed  to  be  a  signal  for  a  general  attack, 
for  in  a  moment,  the  wolves  were  attacking  the  Buffalo 
on  every  side,  and  I  don't  think  it  was  five  minutes  be- 
fore they  had  the  bull  dead  and  stretched  out.  Until 
then  I  had  never  thought  that  wolves  would  attack  a 
well  Buffalo,  but  this  sight  convinced  me  that  they  could 
and  would  kill  any  buffalo  they  chose  to    attack. 

We  went  back  to  camp,  packed  up  our  meat,  and  pulled 
out  for  the  fort.  When  we  got  there  I  told  Jim  Bridger, 
about  the  fight  the  wolves  had  with  the  buffalos,  and  he 
said,  **If  you  had  seen  as  much  of  that  as  I  have,  you 
would  know  that  wolves  signal  to  each  other  and  under- 
stand each  other  the  same  as  men  do, 


CHAPTER  II. 


It  was  early  in  the  spnng  of  fifty,  when  Kit  Carson,  Jim 
Bridger,  aud  myself  met  at  Bent's  Fort  which  was  on 
the  head  waters,  of  the  Arkansas  river.  Bridger  and  I  had 
just  got  in  from  our  winter's  trapping  ground  and  had 
disposed  of  our  furs  to  a  very  good  advantage;  Carson  had 
just  returned  from  a  trip  back  east.  Carson  said  to 
Bridger,  *'now  Jim  I'll  tell  you  what  I  want  you  to  do,  I 
want  you  and  Will,  meaning  me,  to  go  over  to  Fort 
Kerny  and  escort  emigrants  across  to  California  this 
season,  for  the  gold  excitement  back  in  the  eastern 
states  is  something  wonderful,  and  there  will  be  thousands 
of  emigrants  going  to  the  gold  fields  of  California,  and 
they  do  not  know  the  danger  they  will  have  to  contend 
with,  and  you  two  men  can  save  thousands  of  lives  this 
summer  by  going  to  Fort  Kerney  and  meeting  the  emi- 
grants there  and  escorting  them  through.  Now  boys, 
you  must  understand  that  this  undertaking  is  no  child's 
play.     In  doing  this  apparently  many  times  you  will  seem 

(48) 


As  soon  as  they  were  gone  I  took  the  scalp  off  the  dead  Chief's  head. — P.  63 


KIT  Carson's  proposition.  JI 

to  take  your  lives  in  your  own  hands,  for  tbe  Indians  will 
be  worse  on  the  plains  this  year  than  they  ever  have  been. 
At  the  present  time  there  is  no  protection  for  the  emi- 
grant from  the  time  they  get  twenty  five  miles  west  of 
Fort  Kerny,  until  they  cross  the  Sierra  Nevada  mountains, 
and  there  are  to  be  so  many  renegades  from  justice  from 
Illinois  and  Missouri  that  it  is  going  to  be  fearful  this 
season,  for  the  renegade  is  really  worse  in  some  respects 
than  the  Indian.  He  invariably  has  two  objects  in  view, 
he  gets  the  Indian  to  commit  the  murder  which  is  a  sat- 
isfaction to  him  without  any  personal  risk  besides  the 
plunder  he  gets.  I  know  boys,  you  can  get  good  wages 
out  of  this  thing,  and  I  want  you  to  take  hold  of  it,  and 
you  Jim,  I  know  have  no  better  friend  than  Gen  Kerney, 
and  he  will  assist  you  boys  in  every  way  he  can.  I  al- 
most feel  as  though  I  ought  to  go  my  self,  but  I  cannot 
leave  my  family  at  the  present  time;  now,  Jim  will  you 
go.?'  Bridger  jumped  up  rubbed  his  hands  together 
and  said,  "Fll  be  dog  goned  if  I  won't,  if  Will  goes  with 
me. 

To  which  I  repPied;  *  *I  will  go  with  you,  and  I  think 
the  quicker  we  start  the  better  it  will  be  for  all  parties 
concerned."  Carson  said,  **you  can't  start  too  soon,  for 
the  emigrants  will  be  arriving  at  Fort  Kerney,  by  the 
time  you  get  there." 

The  next  morning  Jim  and  I  were  up  and  had  an  early 
breakfast  and  were  ready  to  start.  Uncle  Kit  said  to  us, 
'<now  boys  when  you  come  back  this  fall  I  want  you  to 


$2  AT   FORT   KERNEY. 

come  and  see  me  and  tell  me  what  kind  of  luck  you  have 
had,  and  all  the  news.  '* 

We  now  bid  him  good  bye,  and  we  were  off. 

I  will  here  inform  the  reader  that  Carson  had  taught 
me  to  call  him  Uncle  Kit  when  I  was  fourteen  years  old 
and  I  always  addressed  him  in  that  way.  Jim  and  I 
were  off  for  Fort  Kerney  which  was  a  journey  of  about 
three  hundred  miles  and  not  a  sign  of  civilization  on  the 
whole  trip.  It  was  a  wild  Indian  country  the  entire 
distance,  but  we  knew  where  the  hostile  Indians  were 
and  also  the  friendly  Indians,  consequently  we  reached 
Fort  Kerney  without  having  any  trouble. 

We  met  Gen.  Kerney  who  was  glad  to  see  us.  He 
said  ,  *  *boys  where  in  the  name  of  common  sense  are  you 
going  to.?" 

We  explained  to  him  in  a  few  words  our  business. 
After  hearing  our  plans  the  Gen.  said,  **I  am  certainly 
glad  to  know  ^  that  some  one  will  take  hold  of  this  thing, 
for  I  am  sure  that  there  will  be  more  emigrants  massacr- 
ed this  year  than  has  ever  been  in  any  other.  I  will  tell 
you  why  I  think  so.  All  the  Indians  from  here  to  the  Sierra- 
Nevada-mountains  are  in  the  war-path;  in  the  second 
place  the  emigrants  who  are  coming  from  the  east  have 
no  idea  what  they  have  to  contend  with,  and  I  dread  the 
consequences. " 

While  this  conversation  was  taking  place  a  soldier 
rode  in  that  had  been  on  picket  duty  and  said  to  the 
Gen:  *1  saw  some  covered  wagons  going  into  camp  down 


THE    EMIGRANT  S    CRUEL    ACT.  53 

on  Deer  Creek  about  five  miles  from  here.  Where 
do  you  suppose  they  are  going  Gen?" 

To  Which  Gen.  Kerney  replied,  **they  are  going  to 
California  and  you  will  see  hundreds  of  them  inside  the 
next  two  weeks." 

Jim  Bridger  said,  **well,  Willie,  come  on  and  let's  see 
what  we  can  do  with  them." 

As  we  were  leaving  the  Fort  Gen.  Kerney  said  to  us, 
**boys,  come  back  and  stay  all  night  with  me,  I  want 
you  to  make  my  quarters  your  home,  while  you  are  wait- 
ing for  the  emigrants  to  arrive." 

Bridger  answered,  **thank  you  Gen.,  we  will  be  glad 
to  do  so,  and  we  may  want  you  to  reommend  us  to  the 
emigrants. " 

To  which  the  Gen.  answered,  **I  will  take  pleasure 
in  doing  so." 

Bridger  and  I  rode  down  to  where  the  emigrants  were 
in  camp,  and  we  found  the  most  excited  people  I  ever 
saw  in  my  life,  they  had  passed  through  one  of  the  most 
terrible  experiences  that  had  ever  occured  on  the  frontier. 
There  were  thirty  wagons  in  the  train,  and  they  were  all 
from  the  south-eastern  part  of  Missouri,  and  it  seemed 
that  there  was  one  man  in  the  train  by  the  name  of 
Rebel  who  at  the  time  they  had  left  home  had  sworn  that 
he  would  kill  the  first  Indian  he  came  across.  This  op- 
portunity occured  this  morning  about  five  miles  back  of 
where  we  met  them.  The  train  was  moving  along  slowly 
when  this  man    **Reber*  saw  a   squaw   sitting  on  a   log 


54  A    WHITE    MAN    SKINNED    ALIVE. 

ivith  a  pappoose  in  her  '-j^rms,  nursing.  He  shot  her 
down;  she  was  a  Kiowah  squaw,  and  it  was  right  on  the 
edge  of  their  village  where  he  killed  her  in  cold  blood. 
The  Kiowahs  were  a  very  strong  tribe,  but  up  to  this  time 
they  had  never  been  hostile  to  the  whites;  but  this  deed 
BO  enraged  the  wariors  that  they  came  out  in  a  body  and 
surrounded  the  emigrants,  and  demanded  them  to  give  up 
the  man  who  had  shot  the  squaw.  Of  course  his  com- 
rades tried  not  to  give  him  to  them  but  the  Indians  told 
them  if  they  did  not  give  the  man  to  them,  they  would 
kill  them  all.  So  knowing  that  the  whole  train  was  at 
the  mercy  of  the  Indians,  they  gave  the  man  to  them. 
The  Indians  dragged  him  about  a  hundred  yards  and  tied 
him  to  a  tree,  and  then  they  skinned  him  alive  and  then 
turned  him  loose,  One  of  the  men  told  us  that  the 
butchered  creature  lived  about  an  hour  suffering  the  most 
intense  agony.  They  had  just  buried  him  when  we  rode> 
into  the  camp.  The  woman  and  some  of  the  men  talked 
about  the  dreadful  thing;  one  of  the  men  said  it  was  a 
comfort  to  know  that  he  had  no  family  with  him  here  or 
back  home  to  grieve  at  his  dreadful  death. 

On  hearing  this  remark  Jim  said,  *  'you  are  the  most 
lucky  outfit  I  ever  saw.  Any  other  tribe  of  Indians  this 
side  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  would  not  have  left  one  of 
you  to  have  told  the  tale,  and  it  is  just  such  darned  fools, 
as  that  man,  that  stir  up  the  Indians,  to  do  so  much 
deviltry. 

Until  this  time  there  had  been  but  a  few  of  the    emi- 


AN  INVITATION  TO  SUPPER.  55 

grants  near  us.  We  were  both  dressed  in  buck-skin, 
and  they  did  not  know  what  to  make  of  us,  the  young 
girls  and  some  of  the  young  men  were  very  shy.  They 
had  never  seen  any  one  dressed  in  buck-skin  before. 
An  elderly  woman  came  to  us  and  said,  * 'Ain't  you  two 
men,  what  they  call  mountaineers.^^"  Jim,  answered: 
**Yes,  marm,  I  reckon,  we  are." 

She  replied,  *'well  if  you  are,  my  old  man  wants  you 
to  come  and  eat  supper  with  we'ns." 

Jim  turned  to  me  and  laughed,  **Shall  we  go  and  eat 
with  them,  Willie.^"  he  asked.  I  answered,  "yes,  let's 
get  acquainted  with  every  body." 

We  went  with  the  old  lady  to  their  tent  which  was 
but  a  few  steps  from  where  we  stood.  When  she  had 
presented  us  to  her  old  man  as  she  called  him,  she  said 
to  him,  **Jim,  I  know  these  men  can  tell  you  what  to 
do."  He  shook  hands  with  us,  saying.  **I  don't  know 
what  in  the  world  we  are  going  to  do,  I  believe  the  Ind- 
ians will  kill  us  all  if  we  try  to  go  any  further,  and  I  know 
they  will  if  we  go  back." 

By  this  time  there  was  quite  a  crowd  around  us. 

I  said  to  Jim,  *'why  don't  you  tell  the  people,  what  we 
can  do  for  them.?"  Jim  then  said,  ''why,  dog  gorn  it, 
this  boy  and  I  can  take  you  all  through  to  California  and 
not  be  troubled  with  the  Indians  if  there  is  no  more 
durned  fools  among  you  to  be  a  shooting  squaws.  But 
you  will  have  to  do  just  as  we  tell  you  to  do."  And 
looking  over  the  ground  he  asked,  "who  is  your  captain.?" 


56  THEY   HAD  NO    CAPTAIN. 

I  want  to  see  him. " 

The  old  man  said,  ** Want  to  see  our  Capt'n.^  We 
hain't  got  any  capt^n,  got  no  use  for  one."  Jim,  then 
asked,  who  puts  out  your  guards  around  the  camp  at 
night  .^ 

* 'Guards.!*     Did'nt   know  we  had  to  have  any." 

Jim  looked  the  astonishment  he  felt  as  he  said,  **Why, 
dad-blame-it  man,  you  won't  get  a  hundred  miles  from 
here  before  all  of  you  will  be  killed.'* 

At  that  moment  one  of  the  men  said,  *  'Who  is  this 
coming.?" 

We  all  looked  in  the  direction  he  was,  and  we  saw  it 
was  Gen.  Kerney.  When  he  rode  up  to  us  Bridger 
said,  *'Gen.,  what  do  you  think.  These  people  have  no 
captain  and  have  no  one  to  guard  the  camp  at  night." 

The  Gen.  answered,  ''is  that  possible.?  How  in  the 
name-of-god-have  they  got  here  without  being  massacr- 
ed.?" and  then,  addressing  the  men  that  stood  near  he 
said,  "gentlemen,  you  had  better  make  some  arrange- 
ment with  my  friends  here  to  pilot  you  across  to  Calif- 
ornia, for  I  assure  you  that  if  these  men  go  with  you  and 
you  follow  their  directions,  you  will  reach  your  journeys 
end  in  safety." 

Just  then  the  Gen.  looked  down  the  road,  and  he 
said,  "Look  there!" 

We  all  looked,  and  we  saw  another  long  train  of  emi- 
grants coming  towards  us.  They  drove  up  near  us  and 
prepared   to  go   into   camp.     This   was  a  mixed   train. 


GEN.  kerney's  advice.  57 

Some  came  from  Illinois,  some  from  Indiana,  and  a  few 
families  from  the  state  of  Ohio. 

Jim  and  I  mounted  our  horses  and  rode  with  the  Gen. 
down  among  the  new  emigrants.  They  had  heard  all 
about  the  skinning  of  the  white  man  and  were  terribly 
excited  about  it.  They  asked  the  Gen.  what  was  best  for 
them  to  do.  A  great  many  of  them  wanted  to  turn  and 
go  back.  Finely  the  Gen.  said  to  them,  '*Here  are  two  as 
good  men  as  there  are  in  the  mountain.  They  are 
thoroughly  reliable  and  understand  the  Indians*  habits 
perfectly.  Now,  my  friends  the  best  thing  you  can  do 
is  to  organize  your  selves  into  company,  select  your  cap- 
tain and  then  make  some  arrangement  with  these  men  to 
pilot  you  through,  for  I  tell  you  now,  there  will  be  more 
trouble  on  the  plains  this  year,  than  has  ever  been  known 
before  with  the  Indians.  Now  gentlemen  we  must  leave 
you,  but  we  will  come  back  in  the  morning  and  see  what 
decision  you  have  come  to." 

At  this  time  two  men  stepped  up  to  Jim  Bridgerand 
me  and  said,  **Why  can't  you  two  stay  all  night  with 
us.^"  We've  got  plenty  to  eat,  and  you  both  can  sleep  in 
our  tent." 

Jim  answered,  **We  don't  want  to  sleep  in  any  tent, 
we've  got  our  blankets,  and  we  will  sleep  under  that  tree." 
pointing  to  a  tree  near  us. 

The  Gen.  said,  *  *Mr.  Bridger,  you  boys  had  better 
stay  here  to-night,  for  you  have  lots  of  business  to  talk 
over.*' 


58  THE  ELECTION  OF  A  CAPTAIN. 

Jim  and  I  dismounted  staked  our  horses  out  and  went 
to  supper.  After  supper  Jim  said,  **Now,  you  want  to 
get  together,  and  elect  a  captain." 

One  man  said,  **all  right,  I'll  go  and  notify  the  entire 
camp  and  we  will  call  a  meeting  at  once."  Which  was 
done.  As  soon  as  the  crowd  gathered,  they  called  on 
Jim  to  tell  them  what  to  do.  Jim  mounted  the  tongue 
of  a  wagon  and  said,  **now,  men,  the  first  thing  to  do  is 
to  elect  a  Captain,  and  we  must  take  the  name  of  every 
able  bodied  man  in  this  outfit,  for  you  will  have  to  put 
out  camp  guards  and  picket  guards  every  night.  Now, 
pick  out  your  men,  and  I'll  put  it  to  a  vote." 

Some  called  for  Mr.  Davis,  and  some  for  Mr.  Thomas; 
both  men  came  forward.  Jim  said,  -^now,  Mr.  Davis 
get  up  on  this  wagon  tongue  and  I'll  make  a  mark,  and 
we'll  see  if  the  crowd  wants  you  for  their  Captain.  Jim 
took  a  stick  and  made  a  mark  on  the  ground  from  the 
wagon  tongue  clear  out  through  the  crowd.  He  then 
said,  *  *all  that  want  Mr.  Davis  for  Captain  will  step  to 
the  right  of  this  line,  and  they  that  favor  Mr.  Thomas 
will  keep  to  the  left  of  the  line.  About  three  fourths  of 
the  men  stepped  to  the  right  of  the  line,  which  made 
Davis  Captain.  As  soon  as  Davis  was  declared  Captain 
he  said,  **now  friends,  we  must  hire  these  men  to  escort 
us  to  California;  if  there  is  any  body  here  that  is  not  in 
favor  of  this  let  him  say  so  now." 

But  every  one  shouted,  **yes!    yes!" 

Davis  turned  to  us  and  said,  '  *what  is  your   price  for 


STARTING  OF  THE  EMIGRANT  TRAIN.  59 

the  trip?" 

Jim  said  to  me,  **what  do  you  say,  Will?" 

I  replied,  **it  is  worth  four  dollars  a  day  each:" 

Jim  told  the  Captain  that  we  would  go  for  four  dollars 
a  day  to  be  paid  each  of  us  every  Saturday  night,  and  if 
at  the  end  of  the  first  week  we  had  not  given  satisfaction, 
we  would  quit.  Davis  put  it  to  a  vote  and  it  was  carried 
in  our  favor. 

The  balance  of  the  evening  was  spent  in  making, 
arrangements  to  commence  drilling  the  men.  In  the 
morning  Jim  said  to  me,  **now.  Will,  I'll  take  charge  of 
the  wagons  and  you  take  charge  of  the  scouts." 

I  told  the  Captain  that  I  wanted  him  to  select  seven 
good  men  that  owned  their  horses,  I  wanted  to  drill 
them  to  act  as  scouts.  Jim  said,  **yes,  we  want  to  get  to 
drilling  every  body  tomorrow  morning:" 

We  put  in  four  hard  days  work  at  this  business,  and 
then  we  were  ready  for  the  trail,  and  we  pulled  out  on 
our  long  and  tedious  journey  to  the  land  of  gold. 

There  were  four  hundred  and  eighty-six  men  and  ninety 
women  in  the  train,  and  they  had  one  hundred  and  forty- 
eight  wagons.  Every  thing  moved  smoothly,  until  we  were 
near  the  head  of  the  North  Platte  river,  We  were  now 
in  the  Sioux  country,  and  I  began  to  see  a  plenty  of  Ind- 
ian sign.  Jim  and  I  had  arranged  that  a  certain  signal 
meant  for  him  to  corral  the  wagons  at  once.  As  I  was 
crossing  the  divide  at  the  head  of  Sweet  Water  I  discov- 
ered quite  a  band  of  Indians  coming  directly  towards  the 


^  THE  FIRST  FIGHT  WITH  INDIANS. 

train,  but  I  did  not  think  they  had  seen  it  yet.  I  rode 
back  as  fast  as  my  horse  could  carry  me.  When  I  saw 
the  train,  I  signaled  to  Jim  to  corral,  and  I  never  saw 
^uch  a  number  of  wagons  corraled  so  quickly  before  or 
since,  as  they  were.  Jim  told  the  women  and  children 
^o  leave  the  wagon  and  go  inside  the  corral,  and  he  told 
the  men  to  stand  out  side  with  their  guns,  ready  for  ac- 
tion, but  to  hold  their  fire  until  he  gave  the  word,  and  he 
said,  **when  you  shoot,  shoot  to  kill;  and  do  your  duty  as 
brave  men  should.' ' 

In  a  moment,  the  Indians  were  in  sight,  coming  over 
the  hill  at  full  speed.  When  they  saw  the  wagons,  they 
gave  the  war  whoop.  This  scared  the  women,  and  they 
began  to  cry  and  scream  and  cling  to  their  children.  Jim 
jumped  up  on  a  wagon  tongue  and  shouted  at  the  top  of 
his  voice  **for  God's  sake  women,  keep  still,  or  you  will 
all  be  killed." 

This  had  the  effect,  that  he  desired,  and  there  was  not 
a  word  or  sound  out  of  them.  When  the  Indians  were 
with-in  a  hundred  yards  from  us  their  yelling  was  terrible 
to  hear, 

Jim  now  said,  **Now,  boys  give  it  to  them,  and  let  the 
red  devils  have  something  to  yell  about,"  and  I  never 
saw  men  stand  up  and  fight  better  then  these  emigrants. 
They  were  fighting  for  their  mothers  and  wives  and 
children's  lives,  and  they  did  it  bravely.  In  a  few  min- 
utes the  fight  was  over,  and  what  was  left  of  the  Indians 
got  away  in  short  order.     We  did  not  lose  a  man,    and 


AFTER  THE  BATTLE.  6l 

only  one  was  slightly  wounded.  There  were  sixty  three 
dead  wariors  left  on  the  field,  and  we  captured  twenty 
horses. 

It  was  six  miles  frcm  here  to  the  nearest  water,  so  we 
had  to  drive  that  distance  to  find  a  place  to  camp.  We 
reached  the  camping  ground  a  little  before  sunset.  After 
attending  to  the  teams  and  stationing  the  guards  for  the 
night  Cap't.  Davis  came  to  Jim  and  me  and  said,  **the 
ladies  want  to  give  you  a  reception  to  night." 

Jim  said,  **what  for.?"  Davis  replied,  **saving  our 
lives  from  those  horrible  savages."  Jim  answered,  **why, 
durn  it  all,  ain't  that  what  you  are  paying  us  for."  We 
just  done  our  duty  and  no  more,  as  we  intend  to  do  all 
the  way  to  California.  ** 

By  this  time  there  was  a  dozen  women  around  us. 
With  the  others  was  a  middle  aged  woman,  she  said, 
**now,  you  men  with  the  buck  skin  clothes,  come  and  take 
supper  with  us,  it  is  now  all  ready," 

Jim  said,  **come,  Willie  let's  go  and  eat,  fori  am 
hungry  and  tired  too." 

While  we  were  eating  supper,  three  or  four  young 
ladies  came  up  to  us,  and  asked  me  if  I  did'nt  want  to 
dance. 

**The  boys  are  cleaning  off  the  ground  now,  and  I 
want  you  for  my  first  pardner,"  she  said  with  a  smile  and 
a  blush.  Jim  said,  **Will  can't  dance  any  thing  but  the 
scalp  dance."  One  of  the  girls  said,  **what  kind  of  a 
dance  is  that.? 


62  THE  SCALP   DANCE. 

Jim  replied,  *'If  the  Indians  had  got  some  of  your 
scalps  this  afternoon  you  would  have  known  something 
about  it  by  this  time." 

Jim  told  them  that  when  the  Indians  scalped  a  young 
girl,  they  took  the  scalp  to  their  wigwam  and  then  give  a 
dance  to  show  the  young  squaws  what  a  brave  deed  they 
had  done,  *^and  all  you  girls  had  better  watch  out  that 
they  don't  have  some  of  your  scalps  to  dance  around 
before  you  get  to  California;  but  if  you  wish  us  to  Will 
and  I  will  dance  the  scalp  dance  to  nigbt,  so  you  can  see 
how  it  is  done." 

When  they  had  the  ground  all  fixed  for  the  dance  Jim 
and  I  took  our  handkerchiefs  and  put  them  on  a  couple 
of  sticks,  stuck  the  sticks  into  the  ground  and  went 
through  the  Indian  scalp  dance,  making  all  the  hideous 
motions  with  jumps  and  screams,  loud  enough  to  start 
the  hair  from  its  roots,  after  which  Jim  explained  to 
them  this  strange  custom,  telling  them  that  if  any  of 
them  was  unfortunate  enough  to  fall  into  the  Indian's 
hands  this  was  the  performance  that  would  be  had 
around  their  scalps. 

The  girls  said  with  a  shudder  they  had  seen  enough  of 
that  kind  of  dancing  with  out  the  Indians  showing  them. 
The  lady  who  had  invited  us  to  supper  said,  **now  girls 
you  see  what  these  men  have  done  for  us,  they  have 
saved  our  lives,  and  do  you  realize  the  obligation  we  are 
under  to  them.?  Now  let  us  do  everything  we  can  for 
their  comfott  until  we  reach  California.'* 


WILL  TAKES   A   CHIEF'S   SCALP.  63 

And  I  must  say  I  never  saw  more  kind  hearted  people 
than  these  men  and  women  were  to  us  all  the  way,  on 
this  long  and  dangerous  journey. 

We  had  no  more  trouble  with  the  Indians  until  we  had 
crossed  Green  river,  we  were  now  in  the  Ute  country. 
At  this  time  the  Utes  were  considered  to  be  one  of  the 
most  hostile  tribes  in  the  West.  That  ni5^ht  Jim  asked 
me  what  route  I  thought  best  to  take,  by  the  way  of 
Salt  Lake  or  Landers  Cut  Off.  I  said.  *  Jim,  Landers 
Cut  Off  is  the  shortest  and  safest  route  from  the  fact  that 
the  Indians  are  in  the  southern  part  of  the  territory  at 
this  time  of  year,  and  I  do  not  believe  we  shall  have 
much  more  trouble  with  them  on  this  trip;  which  proved 
to  be  true.  We  saw  no  more  Indians  until  we  reached 
the  Humbolt  river.  Just  above  the  Sink  of  Humbolt 
about  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  I  saw  quite  a  band  of 
Indians  heading  directly  for  the  train,  I  signaled  Jim  to 
corral,  which  he  did  at  onc^. 

In  a  few  moments  they  were  upon  us.  As  we  were 
out  on  an  open  prairie,  we  h.>d  a  good  sight  of  the  Ind- 
ians before  they  reached  us;  I  saw  by  the  leaders'  dress 
that  it  was  a  chief  that  was  .leading  them.  His  head 
dress  was  composed  of  eagles'  feathers,  and  he  rode  some 
thirty  or  forty  yards  ahead  of  the  o^her  warriors.  When 
in  gun  shot  of  me  I  fired  at  him  anJ  brought  him  down. 
When  he  fell  from  nis  Horse  the  n^^t  of  the  Indians 
wheeled  their  horses  and  fled,  but  the  .hief  was  the  only 
one  that  fell.     As  soon  as  they  were   gone   I  tooK   .he 


64  A    KISS  FOR    A    QUILL. 

scalp  off  the  dead  chief's  head.  When  we  went  into 
camp  that  evening,  Jim  told  the  emigrants  what  a  great 
thing  I  had  done  in  shooting  the  chief.  * 'There  is  no 
knowing  how  many  lives  he  saved  by  that  one  shot  in  the 
right  time." 

Then  all  the  emigrants  gathered  around  me  to  see  the 
scalp  of  the  Indian;  they  had  never  seen  such  a  sight  be- 
fore; each  of  the  youag  ladies  wanted  a  quill  from  the 
Indian's  head  dress;  and  they  asked  me  what  I  would 
take  for  one  of  them;  I  told  them  the  quills  were  not  for 
sale. 

At  this  time  the  lady  who  had  invited  Jim  and  me  to 
eat  with  her  so  many  times  came  up  to  us  and  she  said, 
**girls,  I  can  tell  you  how  you  can  get  these  quills." 
They  all  asked  at  once,  '*how  is  that  aunty.?" 

**Each  one  of  you  give  him  a  kiss  for  a  quill,*'  she 
laughed,  and  of  all  the  blushing  I  ever  saw  the  young 
girls  that  surrounded  me  beat  the  record.  Jim  grinned 
and  said,  **ril  be  dog  goned  if  I  don't  buy  the  scalp  and 
the  feathers  and  take  all  the  kisses  my  self.  *' 

This  made  a  general  laugh.  I  told  Jim,  that  he  was 
too  selfish,  and  that  I  would  not  share  the  kisses  with 
him,  that  I  would  give  the  scalp  to  him  and  the  feathers 
to  the  elder  lady,  and  she  could  divide  the  feathers 
among  the  girls.  The  girls  clapped  their  hands  and 
shouted,  *'good!  good!" 

Jim  said  that  was  just  his  luck,  he  was  always  left 
out  in  the  cold. 


A   pleasant;  SUNDAY   THEN   THE    PARTING.  6$ 

In  a  few  days  we  were  on  the  top  of  the  Sierra  Nevada 
mountains.  We  told  the  emigrants  that  they  were 
entirely  out  of  danger,  and  did  not  need  our  services  any 
longer,  so  we  would  not  put  them  to  any  more  expense 
by  going  further  with  them.  As  this  was  Saturday  even- 
ing the  emigrants  proposed  going  into  camp  until  Mon- 
day morning  and  that  Jim  and  I  should  stay  and  visit 
with  them.  We  accepted  the  invitation  and  Sunday  was 
passed  in  pleasant  converse  with  these  most  agreeable 
people,  and  I  will  say  here  that  of  all  the  emigrants  I 
ever  piloted  across  the  plains  none  ever  exceeded  these 
men  and  women  in  politeness  and  good  nature  not  only 
to  Jim  and  me,  but  to  each  other,  for  through  all  that 
long  and  trying  journey  there  was  no  unkindness  shown 
by  any  of  them,  and  if  we  would  have  accepted  all  the 
provisions  they  offered  us  it  would  have  taken  a  pack  train 
to  have  carried  it  through.  Every  lady  in  the  train  tried 
to  get  up  some  little  extra  bite  for  us  to  eat  on  the  way 
back.  The  reader  may  imagine  our  surprise  when  Mon- 
day morning  came  and  we  saw  the  amount  of  stuff  they 
brought  tons.  Jim  said,  **Why  ladies  we  haven't  any 
wagon  to  haul  this  stuff,  and  we  have  only  one  pack 
horse  and  he  can  just  pack  our  blankets  and  a  little  more. 
Besides,  we  won't  have  time  to  eat  these  goodies  on  the 
road.  Supposing  the  Indians  get  after  us,  we  would 
have  to  drop  them  and  the  red  skins  would  get  it  all." 

We  now  packed  up  and  were  ready  to  put  out.  We 
mounted  our  horses,  bid  them   **good  bye"  and  were  off. 


66  A   MEETING   WITH   OLD   FRIENDS. 

Nothing  of  interest  occured  until  we  got  near  Green 
river.  Here  we  met  Jim  Beckwith  and  Bob  Simson. 
lim  Bridger  and  I  had  just  gone  into  camp  when  they 
rode  up.  After  they  had  shaken  hands  with  us  Jim 
Beckwith  said,  *'Boys,  you  are  just  the  parties  we  are 
looking  for." 

Bridger  asked  Beckwith  what  he  had  been  doing  and 
where  he  had  been  since  we  parted  at  Bent's  Fort  last 
spring.  Beckwith  replied  that  he  had  been  with  a  train  of 
emigrants  just  now,  v/ho  were  on  the  way  to  California, 
and  they  had  camped  over  on  Black's  Fort.  The  cholera 
had  broken  out  among  them  soon  after  they  crossed  the 
Platte  River,  and  from  then  up  to  yesterday  they  had 
burried  more  or  less  every  day.  There  had  been  no  new 
cases  since  yesterday,  and  they  were  laying  over  to  let 
the  people  rest  and  get  their  strength,  and  they  expected 
to  start  out  tomorrow  morning,  and  turning  to  me  Beck- 
with said,  **Wil],  I  want  you  to  go  with  us  for  there  is 
another  train  of  emigrants  over  on  the  Salt  Lake  route." 

At  this  time  there  were  two  routes  between  the  Green 
river  and  the  Humboldt;  one  by  the  way  of  Salt  Lake 
and  the  other  by  Lander's  Cut  off.  Beckwith  said,  *' 
Those  emigrants  going  by  the  Salt  Lake  route  have  no 
guide  and  I  am  afraid  when  they  strike  the  Humboldt 
they  will  all  be  massacred,  for  they  will  be  right  in  the 
heart  of  the  Pi-Ute  country,  and  you  know  this  tribe  is 
on  the  war  path,  and  I  want  you  to  go  on  and  overtake 
them  and  see  them  safely   through  or  else  stay  with  this 


A   NEW   RESPONSIBILITY.  6/ 

train  and  I  will  go  myself  and  take  care  of  them  We. 
want  the  two  trains  to  meet  at  the  mouth  of  Long  Can- 
yon, and  then  we  will  go  up  Long  Canyon  to  Honney 
lake  and  then  cross  the  Sierra  Nevada." 

I  turned  to  Jim  Bridger  and  said,  **Jim,  what  do  you 
think  of  this  proposition?" 

Jim  said  he  thought  it  a  good  thing  for  me  to  do;  the 
responsibility  would  give  me  more  confidence  in  myself. 
*  *  You  know  Will,  you  have  always  depended  on  Carson 
or  me  at  all  times,  and  this  trip  will  teach  you  to  depend 
on  yourself." 

I  saddled  my  horse  and  went  with  Beckwith  back  to 
the  emigrant's  camp.  It  was  arranged  that  I  was  to  take 
charge  of  the  scouts  and  Simson  to  take  charge  of  the 
other  train,  and  Beckwith  would  go  on  and  overtake  the 
other  train,  and  the  train  that  reached  the  mouth  of 
Long  Canyon  where  it  empties  into  Truckey  river  first 
must  wait  for  the  other  train. 

At  this  point  the  two  trails  divide  one  going  up  the 
Truckey  by  the  Donna  lake  route  and  the  other  up  Long 
Canyon  by  Honey  lake,  the  latter  being  considered  the 
best  route. 

The  next  morning  we  pulled  out.  I  had  good  luck  all 
the  way  through,  having  no  trouble  with  the  Indians, 
arriving  at  Long  Canyon  three  days  ahead  of  Jim  Beck- 
with. 

In  my  train  there  was  an  old  man  with  his  wife  and  a 
son  and  daughter;  they  seemed  to   be  very   peculiar  dis- 


68  A   HEAD    STRONG   MAN. 

positioned  people,  always  wanting  to  camp  by  themselves 
and  having  nothing  to  say  to  any  one.  When  we  reached 
Long  Canyon,  Simson  told  the  emigrants,  that  we  would 
wait  until  the  other  train  arrived,  which  news  greatly 
pleased  the  most  of  them,  but  the  old  man  and  his  family 
seemed  to  be  all  upset  at  the  idea  of  laying  over,  and  the 
next  morning  they  harnessed  up  their  horses.  While 
they  were  doing  this,  Simson  called  my  attention  to  them 
and  said,  *  *let*s  go  and  see  what  they  mean. " 

I  asked  the  man  what  he  was  going  to  do  with  his 
team.  He  replied  that  he  was  going  to  hook  them  to 
the  wagon  and  was  going  to  California.  I  said,  **you 
certainly  are  not  going  to  start  on  such  a  journey  alone, 
are  you?  You  are  liable  to  be  all  killed  by  the  Indians 
before  you  get  twenty  miles  from  here." 

The  old  man  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  said,  *  *why, 
gol  darn  it,  we  hain't  seen  an  Injin  in  the  last  three  hun- 
dred miles,  and  I  don't  believe  there  is  one  this  side  of 
them  mountains,"  and  he  pointed  towards  the  Sierra 
Nevada  mountains,  **And  if  we  did  meet  any  they 
wouldn't  bother  us  for  we  hain't  got  much  grub,  and  our 
horses  is  too  poor  for  them  to  want. " 

I  told  him,  he  must  not  go  alone,  the  road  was  too 
dangerous,  and  besides  the  other  train  might  come  at 
any  moment,  and  then  we  could  all  pull  out  in  safety. 
He  said,  •*!  own  that  wagon  and  them  horses,  and  I  own 
pretty  much  every  thing  in  that  wagon  and  I  think  I  will 
do  just  as  I  please  with  them."     I  insisted  on  his  waiting 


**FOR  god's  sake  do  NOT  PULL  OUT  ALONE."   69 

until  the  other  train  came  up,  he  said,  he  would  not  wait 
any  longer,  that  he  was  going  to  go  right  now.  I  left 
him  and  walked  back  to  the  camp;  I  asked  the  men  if 
any  of  them  had  any  influence  with  that  old  man  out 
there. 

**If  you  have  for  god's  sake  use  it  and  persuade  him  to 
not  leave  us,  for  if  he  starts  out  alone  he,  nor  any  of  his 
family  will  reach  Honney  lake  alive.*' 

Just  then  one  of  the  men  said,  *'I  have  known  that 
man  ten  years  and  I  know  that  all  the  advice  all  these 
people  could  give  him  would  be  wasted  breath  and  the 
less  said  to  him  the  better  it  will  be." 

I  then  went  back  to  Simson  who  had  charge  of  the 
wagons  and  said  to  him,  **what  shall  we  do  with  that 
old  man.^  He  is  hitching  up  to  leave  us  which  will  be 
sure  death  to  him  and  his  family.  If  he  goes  had  we  not 
better  take  his  team  away  from  him  and  save  his  life  and 
his  family's.?" 

Simson  said,  he  would  consult  with  the  other  men  and 
see  what  they  thought  about  it.  After  he  had  talked 
with  the  other  men  a  short  time,  twenty  or  thirty  of  them 
went  out  where  the  old  man  was  hitching  up  his  team. 
What  they  said  to  him  I  do  not  know.  When  I  got  to 
him  he  was  about  ready  to  pull  out;  he  said,  '^Fm*  going 
now  and  you  men  can  come  when  you  please  and  I  don't 
give  a  D'.  whether  you  come  at  all  or  not," 

This  was  the  last  we  ever  saw  of  the  old  man  or  his 
son. 


yo  NO  TRACE  of  THE  FAMILY  IS  FOUND. 

Three  days  later  Jim  Bridger  arrived  with  his  train, 
and  then  we  all  pulled  out  together  by  the  way  of  Honney 
lake.  The  first  night  after  leaving  camp  Jim  Bridger, 
Simson  and  myself  had  a  talk  about  the  old  man  who 
had  left  us.  Jim  said.  *'I  don*t  suppose  we  shall  ever 
hear  of  him  again,"  and  turning  to  me  he  said,  **Will,  it 
v.all  take  us  two  days  to  go  to  Honney  Lake;  now  to- 
morrow morning  suppose  you  pick  out  of  your  scout  force 
eight  good  men,  take  two  days  rations  and  your  blankets 
with  you  and  rush  on  ahead  to  the  Lake  and  see  if  you 
can  find  them.  It  maybe  possible  that  some  of  them 
are  alive,  but  I  don't  think  you  will  find  one  of  them. 
Now,  Will,  be  careful  and  don't  take  any  desperate 
chances;  if  you  find  they  have  been  taken  prisoners  keep 
track  of  them  until  we  get  there. " 

The  next  morning  I  and  my  men  were  off  bright  and 
early.  We  reached  the  lake  about  three  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  where  we  struck  the  lake  there  was  scattering 
timber  for  quite  a  ways  up  and^own  and  here  we  found 
the  old  man's  wagon.  The  wagon  cover,  his  tent,  and 
his  team,  were  gone;  his  cooking  utensils  were  setting 
around  the  fire  which  was  still  burning.  Almost  every 
thing  was  gone  from  the  wagon,  but  there  was  no  sign 
of  a  fight.  Neither  could  we  see  any  white  men's  tracks; 
but  moccasin  tracks  were  plenty.  We  sat  down  and  ate 
our  luncheon:  as  soon  as  we  finished  eating  we  started 
to  trail  the  Indians  to  find  out  what  had  become  of  the 
whites.     We   had  gone  but  a  short  distsince  when  I  dis- 


DISCOVERY  OF  THE   SON  S  BODY.  7 1 

cove  red  the  tracks  of  the  two  women ;  then  we  knew  that 
they  had  been  captured  by  the  Indians.  I  said,  *'I  want 
you  men  to  take  this  side  of  the  ridge  and  watch  for  Ind- 
ians all  the  time,  and  you  must  watch  me  also;  when 
you  see  me  throw  up  my  hat  come  at  once  and  be  sure  to 
not  shout,  but  signal  to  each  other  by  whistling  or  hold- 
ing up  your  hands  and  be  sure  to  have  your  signals  un- 
derstood among  yourselves.  And  another  thing  I  want 
to  say  to  you,  if  you  see  any  Indian,  signal  to  me, 
at  once.  Now  I  am  going  to  take  the  trail  of  these 
white  women,  and  if  I  need  your  assistance  I  will  signal, 
and  you  must  all  get  to  me  as  quick  as  possible." 

All  being  understood  I  started  on  the  trail  of  the  white 
women.  I  hadn't  followed  the  trail  over  a  half  a  mile, 
when  I  saw  one  of  the  men  running  towards  me  at  full 
speed;  when  he  reached  me  h^  said,  *'we  have  found  a 
dead  man,  and  he  is  stuck  full  of  arrows:" 

I  mounted  my  horse  and  accompanied  him  to  where 
the  body  lay.  I  reckognized  it  at  once;  it  was  the  son  of 
the  old  man  who  had  left  us  three  days  before.  His 
clothes  were  gone  except  his  shirt  and  pants,  and  his 
body  was  almost  filled  with  arrows.  I  said,  **thisisone 
of  the  party,  and  the  other  is  a  prisoner,  or  we  shall  find 
his  body  not  far  from  here.  Let  us  scatter  out  and 
search  this  grove  of  timber  thoroughly;  perhaps  we  may 
find  the  other  body;  and  be  careful  to  watch  out  for  the 
Indians,  for  they  are  liable  to  run  upon  us  any  time." 

We  had  not  gone  more  than  two  hundred  yards  before 


72  ON  THE  TRAIL  of  THE  WHITE  WOMEN. 

we  found  the  old  man's  body;  it  was  laying  behind  a  log 
with  every  indication  of  a  hand  to  hand  fight.  One 
arrow  was  stuck  in  his  body  near  the  heart,  and  there 
were  several  tomahawk's  wounds  on  the  head  and 
shoulders,  which  showed  that  he  died  game. 

It  was  getting  late  in  the  afternoon  so  I  proposed  to 
the  men  that  we  take  the  bodies  back  to  where  we  had 
found  their  camp,  as  we  had  no  way  of  burying  the 
bodies  in  a  decent  manner,  we  had  to  wait  until  the  train 
came  up  to  us.  We  laid  the  bodies  side  by  side  under 
a  tree  and  then  we  went  into  camp  for  the  night  as  there 
was  good  grass  for  the  horses.  We  staked  them  out 
close  to  camp.  We  had  seen  no  Indians  all  day,  so  we  did 
not  think  it  necessary  to  put  out  guards  around  the  camp 
that  night,  and  we  all  laid  down  and  went  to  sleep. 

The  next  morning  we  were  up  and  had  an  early  break- 
fast; that  done,  I  said,  **Now,  men  I  want  two  of  you 
to  go  back  and  meet  Bridger  and  tell  him  what  we  have 
found  and  pilot  him  here  to  this  camp,  and  he  will  attend 
to  the  burying  of  these  bodies;  I  would  rather  you  should 
choose  among  your  selves  who  shall  go  back." 

One  man  by  the  name  of  Boyd  and  another  whose 
name  was  Taluck  said  they  would  go.  These  men  were 
both  from  Missouri;  I  then  told  them  to  tell  Bridger  that 
I  was  a  going  to  start  on  the  trail  of  the  white  women 
at  once,  and  for  him  to  camp  here  and  that  he  would 
hear  from  me  tonight,  whether  I  found  them  or  not. 

The  rest  of  the  men  and  I  started   on  the  trail;  three 


IN  HOT  PURSUIT  73 

went  on  one  side  and  three  on  the  other,  and  I  took  the 
trail;  I  cautioned  the  men  to  keep  a  sharp  look  out  for 
the  Indians  all  the  time,  and  if  they  saw  any  Indians  to 
signal  to  me  at  once.  I  had  followed  the  trail  some  five 
or  six  miles  when  it  led  me  to  a  little  stream  of  water  in 
a  small  grove  of  timber.  Here  I  found  where  the  Ind- 
ians had  camped;  the  fire  was  still  burning  which  con- 
vinced me  that  the  Indians  had  camped  there  the  night 
before.  I  also  saw  where  the  two  women  had  been  tied 
to  a  tree.  I  followed  them  a  short  distance  and  saw  that 
the  band  we  were  following  had  met  a  larger  band,  and 
they  had  all  gone  off  together  in  a  northerly  direction. 
We  were  now  near  the  north  end  of  Honney  lake,  and  I 
had  about  given  up  hopes  of  ever  seeing  the  women  again, 
but  I  did  not  tell  my  thoughts  to  my  companions.  The 
trail  was  so  plain  that  I  now  mounted  my  horse;  we  fol- 
lowed at  a  pretty  rapid  gate  two  or  three  miles,  when 
we  saw  that  a  few  tracks  had  turned  directly  towards  the 
lake.  I  dismounted  and  examined  them  and  found  the 
two  shoe  tracks  went  with  the  small  party.  I  was  now 
convinced  that  this  was  a  party  of  squaws  going  to  the 
lake  to  fish;  and  I  felt  more  encouraged  to  keep  up  the 
pursuit.  We  were  within  a  mile  of  the  lake  at  this  time. 
We  rode  as  fast  as  we  could  and  keep  the  trail  in  sight. 
We  soon  came  in  sight  of  the  lake;  looking  to  the  right  I 
saw  a  small  band  of  squaws  building  a  fire.  I  called  the 
men  to  me  and  told  them  that  I  believed  the  women  we 
were   looking  for  were  with  those   squaws,  and  if   they 


74  THE  RESCUE 

were,  I  thought  we  could  rescue  them. 

**I  think  our  best  plan  will  be  to  ride  slowly  until  they 
see  us  and  then  make  a  dash  as  fast  as  our  horses  can 
carry  us;  if  the  white  women  are  with  them,  we  will  ride 
right  up  to  them,  if  they  are  tied  I  will  jump  down  and 
cut  them  loose,*'  and  pointing  at  two  of  the  men  I  said, 
'  'You  two  men  will  take  them  up  behind  you  and  take  the 
lead  back,  and  the  rest  of  us  will  protect  you.  ** 

We  did  not  ride  much  farther  before  the  squaws  dis- 
covered us  at  which  they  began  to  shoot,  *'hyha,"  which 
meant,  *'theVe  coming  the're  coming." 

In  a  moment  we  were  in  their  midst,  and  sure  enough 
the  women  were  there  and  tied  fast  to  a  small  tree,  a 
short  distance  from  where  the  squaws  were  building  the 
fire. 

What  happened  in  the  next  few  minutes  I  could  never 
describe.  The  women  knew  me  at  once  and  with  cries 
and  laughter,  touching,  beyond  description  greeted 
me. 

In  an  instant  I  was  off  my  horse  ana  cutting  them 
loose  from  the  tree,  at  the  same  tim  r  -ne  men  were  circ- 
ling around  us  with  guns  cocked  ready  ':c  snoot  the  first 
squaw  that  interfered  with  us. 

To  my  great  surprise  I  did  not  see  a  bow  or  arrow 
among  them  or  a  tomahack  either;  as  quick  as  I  had  the 
women  loose  I  helped  them  up  behind  the  men  I  had 
selected  to  take  them  away  from  captivity  back  to  meet 
the  train.     As  soon  as  we  had  left  them  of  all  the  noise 


THE  WOMEN  TELL    OF  THEIR  FEARSOME  EXPERIENCE.  75 

I  ever  heard  those  squaws  made  the  worst.  I  think  they 
did  this  SO  the  bucks  might  know  that  they  had  lost  their 
captives  and  might  come  to  their  assistance,  Where  the 
bucks  were  I  never  knew.  After  riding  four  or  five  miles 
we  slacked  our  speed,  and  the  women  began  telling  us 
how  the  whole  thing  had  occured.  It  seemed  they  had 
got  to  the  camping  ground  early  in  the  afternoon  of  the 
second  day  after  leaving  us  and  instead  of  staking  out 
their  horses  they  turned  them  loose,  and  about  dusk  the 
old  man  and  his  son  went  out  to  look  for  the  horses,  were 
gone  a  couple  of  hours  and  came  back  with  out  them. 
This  made  them  all  very  uneasy.  The  next  morning 
just  at  break  of  day  the  old  man  and  his  son  took  their 
guns  and  started  out  again  to  hunt  for  their  horses,  and 
the  mother  and  daughter  made  a  fire  and  cooked  break- 
fast. The  sun  was  about  an  hour  high,  and  they  were 
sitting  near  the  fire  waiting  for  the  men  to  come  back 
when  they  heard  the  report  of  a  gun;  they  thought  the 
men  were  coming  back  and  were  shooting  some  game. 
They  had  no  idea  there  was  an  Indian  near  them.  In 
the  course  of  a  half  an  hour  they  heard  the  second  shot, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  the  Indians  were  upon  them,  and 
they  knew  that  the  men  were  both  dead,  because  the  Ind- 
ians had  both  of  their  guns  and  were  holding  them  up 
and  yelling  and  dancing  with  fiendish  glee.  The  Indians 
grabbed  them  and  tied  their  hands  behind  them  and  then 
they  tore  down  their  tent,  took  the  wagon  cover  off  and 
everything  out  of  the  wagon  that   they  could  carry   off. 


76  AT  THE  COFFIN  OF  THE  MURDERED  FATHER  AND  SON. 

'The  bucks  did  the  things  up  in  bundles,  and  the  squaws 
packed  them  on  their  backs,  and  they  were  expecting 
every  minute  to  be  killed.  After  the  squaws  had  gone 
the  bucks  ate  everything  they  could  find  that  was  cooked, 
and  the  squaws  that  you  found  us  with  made  us  go  with 
them  to  the  north  end  of  the  lake  and  there  they  camped 
that  night.  They  tied  us  with  our  backs  to  a  little  tree; 
we  could  not  lay  down  and  what  little  sleep  we  got  we 
took  sitting  up;  we  had  not  had  a  bit  of  breakfast  that 
morning  when  the  Indians  came  upon  us;  it  was  all 
ready,  and  we  were  waiting  for  our  men  folks  to  come 
back,  and  we  have  had  nothing  since,  but  a  little  piece  of 
broiled  fish  with  no  salt  on  it." 

Until  now  I  had  not  said  anything  about  our  finding 
the  dead  bodies  of  their  men,  I  thought  it  better  to  tell 
them  now  rather  then  wait  until  we  reached  camp,  as 
I  thought  the  shock  would  be  less  when  they  came  to  see 
the  condition  they  were  in, 

Before  I  had  finished  telling  the  condition  of  the  bodies 
when  we  found  them,  I  was  afraid  the  young  lady  would 
faint,  she  seemed  to  take  the  horried  news  much  harder 
then  her  mother  did. 

When  we  got  to  camp  we  found  that  Bridger  had  been 
there  some  two  hours  ahead  of  us  and  had  men  digging 
the  graves  and  others  tearing  up  the  wagon  box  to  make 
coffins  to  bury  the  bodies  in. 

We  took  the  women  to  a  family  they  were  accquainted 
with  and  left  them  in  their  care.     After  they  had  been 


SOBS  of  RKTTER  GRIEF.  JJ 

given  something  to  eat  they  went  where  the  bodies  lay 
and  looked  at  them,  and  with  sobs  of  bitter  grief  bent 
over  them;  which  made  my  heart  ache  in  sympathy  for 
them  in  their  loneliness. 

The  next  morning  we  laid  them  away  into  their  lonely 
graves  in  as  de^jent  a  manner  as  we  could,  and  in  sadness 
left  them. 

Through  the  influence  of  Jim  Bridger  arrangements 
were  made  v/Uh  two  families  to  take  these  two  ladies 
with  them  to  California.  Just  before  noon  Jim  came  to 
me  and  said,  **We  will  stay  here  until  tomorrow  morning; 
I  would  like  you  to  take  four  or  five  men  who  have  good 
horses  and  go  around  the  north  end  of  the  lake  and  find 
out,  if  yru  can,  if  the  Piutes  are  gathering  together  in  a 
large  br.nd.  It  is  about  the  time  of  year  for  the  Piutes 
to  lec^ve  this  part  of  the  country,  but  if  they  are  gather- 
injj  in  a  large  band  they  are  bent  on  giving  us  trouble, 
and  we  will  have  to  make  preparations  to  defend  our 
selves.  In  three  days  more  if  we  have  good  luck  we  shall 
be  out  of  the  hostile  Indian  country." 

We  had  an  early  dinner  and  four  others  and  myself 
set  out  for  the  head  of  the  lake,  we  rode  hard  all  that 
afternoon  and  to  our  great  surprise  we  never  saw  an  Ind- 
ian. We  passed  a  number  of  camps  where  they  had 
been,  but  their  trails  all  showed  that  they  had  pulled 
out  for  the  north.  Seeing  this  we  turned  back  and  struck 
the  emigrant  trail  about  ten  miles  from  where  Jim  was 
camped,      (ust  as  we  struck  the  emigrants  trail  I  looked 


78  WE  CAPTURE  EIGHT  INDIAN  PONIES. 

off  to  the  south  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  and  saw  nine 
head  of  horses,  and  they  were  heading  in  the  same  dir- 
ection we  were  going.  I  called  the  other  men's  atten- 
tion to  them  and  said,  **Let*s  capture  those  Indian 
ponies.'*  You  may  imagine  our  surprise  when  we  got 
near  them  to  find  they  were  not  Indian  ponies  but  good 
American  horses  and  several  of  them  had  collar  marks 
on  them  showing  that  they  had  been  worked  lately.  We 
drove  them  on  to  camp,  and  when  we  put  them  in  the 
corral  we  found  them  to  be  perfectly  gentle.  Bridger 
and  the  balance  of  the  men  came  to  see  them,  and  every 
man  had  his  own  view  where  they  had  come  from.  But 
we  never  knew  for  certain  whom  they  belonged  to.  The 
next  morning  we  pulled  out  very  early.  The  third  day 
we  crossed  the  Sierra  Nevada  mountains  with  out  any 
thing  of  interest  happening  to  us.  In  two  days  more  we 
reached  the  Sacramento  river.  We  were  now  abont 
forty  miles  above  Sacramento  City,  California.  We 
camped  here  about  the  middle  of  the  afternoon.  It  be- 
ing Saturday  Jim  thought  we  would  rest  the  balance  of 
the  day.  After  we  had  eaten  our  dinner  Jim  called  all 
the  men  of  the  train  together  and  told  them  that 
they  were  out  of  all  danger  now  from  the  Indians 
and  would  have  no  further  use  for  a  guide  and  that  our 
contract  with  them  was  ended,  and  that  he  and  I  would 
like  to  start  back  for  New  Mexico  Monday  morning.  In 
a  short  time  they  settled  up  with  us,  paying  us  our  due 
with  grateful  thanks  for  our  care  of  them  on  their  danger- 


CROSSING  THE    DANGER   LINE.  79 

ous  journey.  I  now  went  to  the  men  who  were  with  me 
when  I  found  the  horses.  I  said,  **Someof  those  horses 
belong  to  you,  how  many  do  you  want.?" 

They  all  looked  surprised,  and  one  said,  ''They  are  not 
our  horses,  they  are  yours.      You  found  them.'' 

I  answered,  "Now,  boys,  that  is  not  fair;  drive  them  up 
and  let  me  select  three  and  you  may  have  the  balance  to 
divide  as  you  choose  among  you." 

This  seemed  to  please  them;  and  they  drove  the  horses 
up  at  once.  I  chose  the  three  I  liked  best,  and  I  after- 
wards found  them  all  to  be  good  saddle  horses.  Bridger 
and  I  now  went  to  work  making  our  pack  saddles  and 
getting  ready  for  our  long  and  tedious  journey  back  to 
New  Mexico,  a  journey  where  wild  beasts  and  still  wilder 
savages  might  lurk  behind  any  tree  or  bush,  a  journey 
where  at  that  time  all  one  could  see  for  hundreds  of  miles 
was  thick  forests,  and  trackless  prairies;  a  journey  of 
danger  and  fatigue  which  the  people  of  this  later  day  of 
rapid  travel  could  not  be  made  to  understand. 

The  next  morning  after  breakfast  was  over  a  man 
came  to  me  and  said,  Mrs.  Lynch  and  her  daughter 
Lizzie  would  like  to  see  me.  These  were  the  two  ladies 
I  had  rescued  from  the  Indians.  I  had  not  spoken  to 
them  since  I  left  them  with  Bridger  at  the  camp  near 
Honey  Lake.  As  I  came  near  to  the  elder  lady  she  came 
to  meet  me  and  holding  out  her  hand,  clasping  mine  she 
said,   -'Are  you  going  to  leave  us  tomorrow.?" 

I  answered,  "That  is  what  we  intended  to  do." 


80  **WE  CAN  NEVER  PAY  YOU," 

She  then  burst  into  tears,  and  amid  her  sobs  said, 
**We  can  never  pay  you  for  what  you  have  done  for 
us." 

At  this  moment  the  young  girl  appeared,  and  as  she 
gave  me  her  hand  her  mother  said,  *'He  is  going  to 
leave  us,  and  we  can  never  pay  him  for  what  he  has 
done  for  us;"  at  this  the  girl  commenced  to  cry  too  and 
it  was  some  minutes  before  I  could  talk  to  them.  When 
they  had  quieted  down  I  said,  * 'ladies  you  owe  me  noth- 
ing, I  only  done  my  duty,  and  I  would  do  the  same  thing 
over  again  for  you  or  any  one  else  under  the  circums- 
tances that  existed."  Then  the  elder  lady  said,  *'Ifit 
hadn't  been  for  you  we  might  never  have  seen  a  white 
person  again. " 

I  asked  her,  what  state  they  were  from,  she  said,  they 
came  from  Wright  country,  Missouri,  and  that  she  had  a 
brother  there  that  was  amply  able  to  come  and  take  them 
back,  but  she  would  not  ask  him  to  do  so  for  she  never 
wanted  to  cross  the  plains  again.  She  said,  she  had  a 
few  dollars  left  that  the  Indians  didn't  get,  and  she 
thought  Lizzie  and  she  could  find  something  to  do  to  get 
a  living.  I  gave  them  all  the  encouragment  I  could,  bid 
them  good  bye  and  went  back  to  Jim. 

By  the  time  dinner  was  ready  Jim  and  I  had  our  pack  sad- 
dles and  every  thing  ready  to  put  on  our  horses.  While  we 
were  eating  dinner  as  many  as  thirty  ladies  came  to  us  to 
inquire  what  they  could  give  us  to  take  with  us  to  eat  on 
ourjourney.     I  was  amused  at  Bridger.     After  each  lady 


**GOOD  bye!  good  bye!"  8 I 

had  told  what  she  had  to  give  us,  some  had  cakes,  some 
had  pie,  and  some  had  boiled  meat  and  some  had  bread; 
Jim  straightened  up  and  said,  *'Why  dog-gorn  it  ladies, 
we  ain't  got  no  wagon  and  we  could'nt  take  one  if  we 
had  one  the  route  we  are  going  which  will  be  through  the 
mountains  all  the  way  with  no  road  or  trail.  We  are 
going  horse  back  and  we  can  only  take  about  a  hundred 
pounds  on  our  pack  horses.  Now,  ladies,  we  are  a 
thousand  times  obliged  to  you  all  but  all  we  want  is  some 
bread  and  a  little  meat,  enough  to  do  us  a  couple  oi 
days,  and  then  we  will  be  where  we  can  shoot  all  the 
meat  we  want;  it  is  a  poor  hunter  that  could  not  get 
enough  grub  for  himself  in  the  country  we  are  going 
through.'* 

The  next  morning  when  we  were  getting  ready  to  start 
the  women  commenced  bringing  in  bread  and  meat  for  us 
and  we  had  to  take  enough  to  last  us  a  week,  we  could 
not  take  less  with  out  hurting  their  feelings.  When  we 
were  all  ready  to  start,  the  whole  company  came  to  bid 
us  **good  bye.**  Men  and  women,  old  and  young,  all 
came,  and  amid  hand  clasps  from  the  men  and  tears  and 
smiles  from  the  women  we  mounted  our  horses  and  were 
off. 

We  followed  the  trail  we  had  come, back  as  far  as 
Trucky  river,  and  just  below  where  Reno  stands  now  we 
met  the  remnant  of  an  emigrant  train  and  according  to 
their  story  they  had  had  nothing  but  trouble  from  the 
time  they  struck  the  head    of  Bitter   Creek  until  the  day 


82  JIM  TOOK  THE  LEAD  ALL  DAY. 

before  we  met  them.  They  said  they  had  lost  twenty 
seven  men  and  fourteen  women  and  a  number  of  cattle 
and  horses.  They  were  very  much  surprised  when  we 
told  them  of  the  train  we  had  just  piloted  through  to 
California  with  out  losing  one  that  staid  with  us.  We 
told  them  of  the  dreadful  fate  of  old  Mr.  Lynch  and  his 
son. 

As  night  was  coming  on  we  camped  in  company  with 
these  people.  Next  morning  we  crossed  Trucky  river 
and  struck  out  in  a  south  east  direction,  leaving  the  site 
where  Virginia  city  now  stands  a  little  to  our  right  going 
by  the  sink  of  the  Carson  River.  Here  we  camped  and 
laid  over  one  day  to  give  our  horses  a  rest.  Before  we 
left  here  we  filled  our  canteens  with  water.  Bridger  told 
me  that  for  the  next  fifty  miles  it  was  the  poorest  watered 
country  in  the  United  States.  Said  he;  ^  'There  is  plenty 
of  water,  but  it  is  so  full  of  alkali  it  is  not  fit  to  drink; 
it  is  dangerous  for  both  men  and  beast. " 

Jim  took  the  lead  all  day,  and  when  we  came  to  a 
little  stream  of  water  he  would  get  down  and  taste  the 
water  while  I  held  the  horses  to  keep  them  from  drinking. 
It  was  about  four  o'clock  that  afternoon  before  we  found 
water  that  was  fit  to  drink;  here  we  camped  for  the  night. 

Jim  said,  ''From  this  on  we  may  look  for  Indians;  we 
are  now  in  the  Ute  country  and  tomorrow  night  we  will 
be  in  the  Apache  country.  Now  we  must  avoid  the  large 
streams  for  the  Apaches  are  almost  always  to  be  found 
near  the  large  streams  at  thi:3  time  of  year,     Their  hunt- 


AN  ELK-BUCK    FIGHT,  83 

ing  season  is  about  over  now,  and  they  go  to  the  large 
streams  to  catch  fish  and  for  the  benefit  of  a  milder  cli- 
mate. If  we  keep  on  the  high  ridges  and  mountains 
away  from  the  large  streams  we  will  have  no  trouble 
with  the  Indians  and  what  is  better  for  us  we  can  get  all 
the  game  we  want  without  any  exertion." 

The  next  day  we  were  traveling  along  on  a  high  ridge 
in  the  south  east  corner  of  what  is  now  the  State  of  Ne- 
vada. We  looked  of!  to  the  south  at  a  little  valley  that 
was  perhaps  a  half  a  mile  from  us,  and  there  we  saw  a 
grand  sight.  There  must  have  b-^  n  at  least  a  hundred 
elk  and  amongst  them  two  very  large  old  bucks  fighting. 
Their  horns  were  something  imense,  and  strange  to  say 
all  the  rest  of  the  band  stood  still,  watching  the  fight. 
At  last  Jim  said,  *'Will,  I  believe  I  will  break  up  that 
fight." 

He  jumped  to  the  ground,  raised  his  gun  and  fired. 
At  the  sound  of  the  gun  all  of  the  band  run  away  except 
the  two  who  were  fighting.  I  laughed  and  said,  **Jim,  I 
thought  you  were  going  to  stop  that  fight.'^** 

He  replied,  '  'give  me  your  gun,  and  I  will  stop  it." 

This  time  I  handed  him  my  gun,  and  he  squatted  down 
and  took  a  rest  on  his  knee  and  fired.  At  the  crack  of 
the  gun  one  of  the  elks  fell  to  his  knees,  but  got  up  and 
run  for  all  that  was  in  him,  and  that  was  the  last  we  saw 
of  the  elk.  I  told  Jim  he  had  spoilt  the  fun,  and  we  had 
got  no  meat  out  of  it,  he  grinned  and  said,  *'0h'  durn  it 
that  old  elk  was  too  old  to  eat  any  way. " 


84        THE  DEER  RUN  ALL  OVER  OUR  CAMP. 

We  went  on  and  camped  at  the  head  of  a  little  stream 
that  emptied  into  Green  river.  The  sun  was  perhaps  an 
hour  high,  when  we  went  into  camp.  As  soon  as  we  had 
staked  out  our  horses  Jim  said,  *'Now  Will,  I  will  get 
the  supper,  if  you  will  go  out  and  see  if  you  can  get  some 
meat." 

I  answered,  **That  suits  me  to  a  T.  Jim.*' 

I  took  my  gun  and  started  for  a  little  ridge.  I  had 
not  gone  over  a  hundred  yards  when  I  saw  five  deer  com- 
ing directly  towards  me.  Among  them  were  two  spring 
fawns.  I  dropped  down  at  the  root  of  a  tree  and  waited 
until  they  came  to  within  fifty  yards  of  me;  I  then  fired 
and  broke  one  of  the  fawn's  neck,  and  the  rest  of  the 
flock  came  near  running  over  me,  and  over  Jim  also.  I 
picked  up  my  fawn  and  went  back  to  camp,  jim  said, 
**I  don't  want  you  to  go  hunting  anymore  Will." 

I  said,  *'why  not.?"  He  said;  '*If  you  do  I  shall  have 
to  stand  guard  over  the  camp  to  keep  the  deer  from 
tramping  every  thing  we  have  into  the  ground;"  and  he 
pointed  to  the  tracks  of  the  deer  not  ten  feet  from  the  fire. 
This  convinced  us  that  these  deer  had  never  heard  the 
report  of  a  gun  before.  We  were  now  in  the  extreme 
south  east  end  of  Nevada,  and  I  don't  imagine  a  white 
man  had  ever  been  through  that  part  of  the  country  be- 
fore. On  this  trip  we  traveled  some  twelve  or  fifteen 
hundred  miles,  and  we  never  saw  a  white  person  the 
whole  way,  and  not  even  the  sign  of  one. 

At  this  time  when  a  little  more  than  a  half  of  a  century 


TWO  DEERS  LOCKED  FAST  TOGETHER  BY  THEIR  HORNS.  85 

has  passed  there  are  portions  of  this  same  country  that 
could  not  be  rode  over  from  the  fact  that  it  is  all  fenced 
in  and  cultivated.  If  we  had  been  told  then  that  we 
would  live  to  see  railroads  crossing  every  part  of  this 
country  we  would  have  thought  the  person  insane  to  ever 
think  of  such  a  thing  at  a  time  when  there  was  not  a 
foot  of  rail-road  as  far  west  as  Missouri. 

We  had  broiled  venison  for  supper  that  night,  the  first 
we  had  eaten  for  sometime,  and  the  reader  may  be  sure 
we  enjoyed  it. 

Next  morning  we  pulled  out  of  here  quite  early  and 
crossed  Green  river  just  above  the  mouth  of  Blue  River. 
We  were  now  in  the  greatest  game  country  I  had  ever 
seen  then  or  ever  have  seen  since.  We  traveled  up  this 
stream  three  days,  and  I  do  not  think  there  was  a  half 
an  hour  at  any  one  time  that  we  were  out  of  sight  of 
game  of  some  kind.  There  was  the  Bison  which  is  a 
species  of  Buffalo,  Elk,  Deer,  Black  Bear,  and  Ante- 
lope. We  crossed  the  main  divide  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains at  the  head  of  the  Arkansas  River.  That  night  we 
camped  within  a  few  miles  of  what  since  has  become  the 
far  famed  camp  and  now  city  of  Leadville. 

We  were  now  out  of  the  hostile  Indian  country,  and 
so  we  did  not  have  to  be  so  cautious  in  traveling  days  or 
camping  at  night. 

While  we  were  traveling  down  the  Arkansas  river  I 
saw  sight  I  had  never  seen  before  and  never  have  since. 
Two  Buck  Deer   locked  fast  together  by  their  horns.     I 


86  HOW  JIM    SOLVED  THE  DILEMMA. 

had  been  told  of  such  things  and  have  since,  but  that  is 
the  only  time  I  ever  saw  it  myself.  We  were  very  near 
them  before  we  saw  them.  They  were  in  a  little  open 
prairie.  I  called  Jim's  attention  to  them  as  soon  as  I  saw 
them.  He  said,  ''I'll  be  gol  durned  if  that  ain't  the 
second  time  I  ever  saw  such  a  sight,  and  now  we  will 
have  some  fun  out  of  them  bucks. " 

We  dismounted  and  walked  up  near  them,  and  by  the 
looks  of  the  ground  which  was  torn  and  tramped  for 
quite  a  distance  we  decided  that  they  had  been  in  that 
condition  quite  a  while.  Jim  said,  "How  in  the  plague 
Will,  are  we  going  to  get  these  critters  apart.?  They  are 
too  plaguey  poor  to  eat,  so  we  don't  want  to  kill  t  hem, 
and  they  will  die  if  we  leave  them  in  this  fix;  what  shall 
we  do,  Will.?" 

I  thought  a  minute  and  said,  '^can't  we  take  our  little 
ax  and  chop  one  of  their  horns  ofl?'* 

He  said,  ''I  had'nt  thought  of  that,  but  bring  me  the  ax 
and  I  will  try  it." 

I  ran  to  the  pack  horse  and  got  the  ax.  He  said, 
*'Now  you  go  back  to  the  horses;  for  if  I  get  them  loose 
they  may  want  to  fight  us." 

So  1  went  to  the  horses  and  looked  back  to  see  what 
Jim  was  doing.  He  went  up  to  them  with  the  ax  drawn 
ready  to  strike  but  it  was  quite  a  bit  before  they  were 
quiet  enough  for  him  to  get  a  good  hit  at  them.  At  last 
he  made  a  strike  and  down  went  one  of  the  deer.  In- 
stead of  striking  the  deer's  horn  he  struck  him  right  back 


••HE    NEVER    STOPPED  TO   THANK    US".  8/ 

of  the  horn  and  killed  him  instantly;  when  Jim  saw  what 
he  had  done  he  made  another  hit  at  the  dead  buck's  horn 
and  freed  the  live  one,  which  ran  thirty  or  forty  yards 
and  stopped  and  turned  around  and  shook  his  head  at 
us  a  half  a  dozen  times  and  then  he  trotted  away  as  if 
nothing  had  happened. 

Jim  laughed  and  said,  **He  never  stopped  to  thank  us 
did  he?  Well  he  ain't  much  different  from  some  peo- 
ple." I  said,  **Why,  Jim  he  meant  * 'thank  you"  when  he 
shook  his  head  at  us;  that  is  all  the  way  he  could  say  it, 
you  know,"  to  which  he  replied,  *'Well,  I  saved  one  of 
them  any  way. " 

Nothing  occured  of  interest  from  this  time  on  until 
we  reached  our  journey's  end  at  Taos,  New  Mexico. 
Here  we  found  Uncle  Kit  and  his  wife  both  enjoying 
good  health  and  a  warm  welcome  for  his  boy  Willie,  and 
his  old  friend  Jim  Bridger. 

After  supper  that  night  we  told  Uncle  Kit  that  we  had 
traveled  from  the  Sacramento  river,  California  to  Taos, 
New  Mexico  in  thirty  three  days,  and  that  we  never  saw 
a  hostile  Indian  on  the  trip,  and  neither  had  had  any 
trouble  of  any  kind  to  detain  us  a  half  an  hour  on  the 
whole  trip.  He  said,  **That  is  a  wonderful  story  to  hear, 
when  there  are  so  many  wild  Indians  in  that  part  of  the 
country.      Now  boys  tell  me  what  route  you  came." 

We  marked  out  the  route  by  different  streams  and 
mountains.  He  looked  at  the  map  we  had  drawn  and 
said*  *'I  will  venture  to  say  there  is   not  two   men  in  ail 


88  PROTECTED   BY   A    KIGKER   POWER, 

the  country  that  could  make  that  trip  over  that  route 
and  get  through  ahve.  I  will  say  apain,  boys,  it  lis  some 
thing  wonderful  to  think  of,  and  you  must  have  been 
protected  by  a  higher  power  than  your  selves  to  get 
through  in  safety.** 

We  staid  with  Uncle  Kit  a  couple  of  weeks  and  rested 
up,  and  then  we  struck  out  for  Bent*s  Fort  to  make  up 
our  crew  to  go  to  our  trapping  ground  for  our  winter's 
work. 

Uncle  Kit  accompanied  us  to  Bent's  Fort;  and  all  the 
trappers  were  anxious  to  get  in  his  employ  from  the  fact 
that  the  report  had  gone  out  that  the  Sioux  and  the  Utes 
were  on  the  war  path,  and  all  the  trappers  knew  that 
these  two  tribes  were  the  strongest  hostile  tribes  in  the 
west,  and  when  fifty  miles  from  Bent's  Fort  we  never 
knew  that  we  were  safe  and  the  trappers  all  had  confi- 
dence in  Uncle  Kit's  jndgment  that  he  seldom  made  a 
mistake  in  locating  his  trapping  ground,  and  further  more 
he  had  more  influence  with  the  Indians  than  any  other 
man  in  the  country,  so  they  worked  rather  for  him  than 
take  chances  with  anyone  else. 

The  next  morning  after  we  reached  Bent's  Fort  I  heard 
Mr.  Bent  and  Mr.  Roubidoux  talking  with  Carson  in  re- 
gard to  the  trappers.  Mr.  Bent  said,  ''Carson,  I  wish 
you  would  take  as  many  as  you  can  handle,  for  they  all 
have  an  Indian  scare  on  them  and  are  afraid  to  go  out, 
and  every  one  of  them  is  indebted  to  us  for  board  now;  and 
we  can  not  afford  to   support  them    if  they  loaf   around 


EVERY   TRAPPER    WANTED   TO   JOIN  US.  89 

here  all  winter,"  to  which  Carson  replied,  ''I  can  handle 
five  or  six  of  them,  and  that  is  all  I  want,  I  can  not 
afford  to  take  men  out  in  the  mountains  and  board  them 
^11  winter  for  nothing."  After  thinking  a  minute  Carson 
asked,  **How  many  of  the  men  have  their  own  traps  and 
blankets?" 

Mr.  Roubidoux  said,  he  thought  nearly  all  of  the  trap- 
pers at  the  Fort  had  their  own  trapping  out  fits  with 
them.  Carson  said,  he  would  think  it  over  and  see  what 
he  could  do  for  them.  That  afternoon  Carson  and 
Bridger  had  a  talk  with  regard  to  how  many  men  they 
should  take  with  them.  Uncle  Kit  said,  **We  hav'nt 
horses  enough  to  carry  more  then  three  or  four  besides 
us  three."  Bridger  said,  **That  will  not  make  any  dif- 
ference, if  they  want  to  go  they  can  foot  it  from  here  to 
the  head  of  South  Platte  as  that's  where  we  are  going  to 
trap  this  winter;  and  when  they  are  through  in  the  spring 
they  can  foot  it  back  again.  We  have  nine  pack  horses 
besides  our  saddle  horses,  and  we  can  pack  out  to  the 
trapping  grounds,  an  out  lit  for  five  or  six  men  besides 
our  own  all  in  good  shape." 

That  after  noon  Uncle  Kit  and  Bridger  made  arange- 
ments  with  six  men  to  go  with  us  to  the  head  of  South 
Platte  to  trap  Beaver  that  winter.  Carson  and  Bridger 
agreed  to  furnish  them  with  flour,  coffee,  salt,  and 
tobacco  for  which  Carson  and  Bridger  were  to  have  half 
of  the  furs  that  each  man  caught,  Carson  and  Bridger  to 
pack  the   grub  and  every  thing  else   out  to  the  trapping 


90       ROASTED  BEAR  CUB  FEET  FOR  WILL. 

ground  and  also  to  pack  the  iursand  all  their  other  things 
back  to  Bent's  Fort  in  the  Spring,  After  Carson  and 
Bridger  had  selected  the  six  men  they  wanted,  it  seemed 
as  though  all  the  trappers  at  the  Fort  wanted  to  go  with 
them.  Carson  told  them  he  had  engaged  all  he  could 
handle.  The  next  two  days  we  spent  in  getting  ready  to 
go  to  our  trapping  grounds.  On  the  morning  of  the 
third  day  every  thing  in  readiness  we  bid  farewell  to  all 
the  people  at  the  Fort  and  struck  out  for  the  trapping 
grounds  and  our  winter's  work.  The  men  that  had  to 
walk  did  not  wait  for  us  but  started  as  soon  as  they  had 
breakfast. 

Uncle  Kit  told  them  where  we  would  camp  the  first 
night.  Thep  got  there  before  we  did,  and  they  had 
killed  the  fattest  deer  I  ever  saw  and  had  killed  a  Cub 
Bear.  They  were  skinning  them  when  we  got  to  camp. 
The  deer  was  a  spike  buck  and  when  he  was  skinned  he 
was  as  white  as  a  sheep  from  pure  fat.  The  reader  may 
be  sure  we  were  not  long  in  unpacking  and  getting  ready 
for  supper;  every  one  was  tired  and  hungry  for  we  had  not 
had  any  thing  to  eat  since  morning.  For  my  supper  I 
roasted  two  of  the  cnb's  feet,  and  I  have  never  enjoyed  a 
meal  since  that  tasted  better.  While  we  were  eating 
Jim  Bridger  looked  at  me  and  said,  *'Will,  you  have  the 
best  of  me  tonight,  but  when  we  get  to  the  Beaver 
grounds  I'll  have  a  Beaver's  tail  roasted  for  my  supper 
and  then  I'll  be  even  with  you." 

I  never  saw  a  band  of  men  enjoy   a  meal  more    than 


♦'SOMETHING    GOOD    FOR    SUPPER.  9I 

those  men  did  that  night.  In  this  climate  people  have 
better  appetites,  than  any  climate  I  have  ever  been.  I 
think  the  reason  for  this  was  the  air  was  so  pure  and 
invigorating  and  it  naturally  required  more  food  to  sus- 
tain the  body  and  keep  it  in  good  health,  and  at  that  time 
sickness  was  very  rare  in  that  part  of  the  country.  It 
would  seem  unreasonable  to  tell  how  much  meat  a  man 
ate  at  one  meal,  especially  when  out  on  a  trip  like  this 
when  he  was  out  in  the  open  air  all  the  time,  night  as 
well  as  day. 

The  third  day  after  leaving  this  camp  we  struck  the 
South  Platte  river,  and  now  we  had  another  change  of 
meat,  which  was  mountain  sheep.  This  is  in  my  op- 
inion the  best  wild  game  that  roams  the  forest. 

We  made  an  early  camp  that  night  and  Uncle  Kit 
said  to  Jim  Bridger  and  me,  **you  two  boys  get  the  meat 
for  supper  and  the  rest  of  us  will  look  after  the  horses.** 
We  picked  up  our  guns  and  started  up  the  river;  we  had 
not  gone  far  when  in  looking  up  on  a  high  bluff  we  saw 
a  band  of  mountain  sheep.  Jim  said,  '*Now  if  we  can 
reach  that  little  canyon, "  and  he  pointed  to  one  just  ahead 
of  us,  *  'without  them  fellows  seeing  us  we  will  sure  have 
something  good  for  supper.  "This  we  succeeded  in  doing, 
and  then  we  crawled  around  until  we  were  within  fifiy 
yards  of  our  game.  We  selected  a  couple  of  spring  lambs 
and  fired  and  brought  them  both  down.  When  the  men 
at  the  camp  heard  the  firing  a  couple  of  the  men  came 
running  to  help  us  bring  our   game  to  camp.     We  soon 


92  TWO    EXITING    HUNTING  STORIES 

had  it  dressed  and  ready  for  cooking,  and  it  was  good 
and  every  one  of  the  men  ate  as  if  they  enjoyed  it  as 
much  as  I  did.  While  we  wtre  eating  supper  Jim  told 
us  a  story  of  his  coming  in  contact  with  a  panther  that 
had  just  killed  a  sheep,  and  he  said  it  was  a  miracle  that 
it  did  not  kill  him.  He  was  coming  down  a  bluff  on  a 
little  trail  and  as  good  luck  had  it  he  had  his  gun  in  his 
hand*  The  panther  had  the  sheep  behind  a  rock  and 
as  the  panther  sprang  at  him  he  fired  and  broke  it's 
neck. 

*'It  was  the  luckiest  shot  I  ever  fired,  **said  he,'*  for  if  I 
had  not  had  my  gun  all  ready  to  fire  he  would  have  torn 
me  to  pieces  before  I  could  have  helped  myself." 

Uncle  Kit  said,  **Well,  Jim,  you  were  in  about  as  close 
a  place  as  I  got  into  once.  I  went  out  from  my  camp 
fire  one  night  perhaps  forty  yards  to  a  small  tree.  I 
did*nt  have  any  pistol  or  gun  with  me,  I  had  nothing  but 
my  hunting  knife  to  protect  myself  with  when  a  half 
grown  panther  sprang  out  of  the  tree  on  me  and,  may  be 
you  think,  I  did*nt  have  a  lively  time  there  with  him  for 
a  few  minutes,  but  I  finally  got  the  best  of  him  by  cutting 
him  almost  to  pieces.  He  tore  my  buck  skin  breeches 
and  coat  pretty  near  off  me  and  left  this  scar  on  my  arm 
before  I  finished  him,"  and  Carson  pulbd  his  sleeve  up 
and  showed  us  a  scar  that  must  have  been  torn  almost  to 
the  bone. 

Two  days  from  this  we  reached  the  place  where  we 
made  our  head  quarters  for  the  winter.     That  night  the 


SELECTING   THE    WINTER    CAMP.  93 

men  talked  it  over  and  made  their  plans  how  many 
should  camp  together.  They  agreed  that  there  should 
be  three  in  each  camp  as  there  were  nine  of  us  in  all. 
That  made  the  number  even  in  each  camp.  Next  morn- 
ing they  all  put  out  leaving  me  to  look  out  for  the 
horses  and  things  in  general. 

For  the  benefit  of  the  reader  I  will  explain  how  we 
arranged  a  camp  where  a  number  of  men  were  associated 
together  in  trapping  beaver.  We  built  our  camps  about 
four  miles  apart  which  gave  each  camp  two  miles  square 
to  work  on,  and  this  was  ample  room,  for  this  was  a  new 
field  and  Beaver  was  as   thick  as  rats    around  a  wharve. 

While  they  were  gone  I  took  my  gun  and  started  out 
to  take  a  little  stroll  around  where  the  horses  were  feed- 
ing, I  had  gone  but  a  short  distance  when  I  looked  up. 
On  a  mountain,  north  of  me  I  saw  a  band  of  elk  with 
perhaps  seventy  five  or  a  hundred  in  it,  and  they  were 
coming  directly  towards  me;  I  was  satisfied  in  my  mind 
that  they  were  going  to  the  river  to  get  water.  I  dropped 
down  behind  a  log  and  waited  for  them  to  come  close  to 
me.  The  nearest  one  was  twenty  yards  from  me  when  I 
fired.  I  shot  at  a  two  year  old  heifer  and  broke  her  neck. 
I  then  went  back  to  camp  to  see  if  any  of  the  men  had 
come  in  as  it  was  near  noon.  I  thought  some  of  them 
would  be  back  and  sure  enough  in  a  few  minntes  they  all 
came  together;  I  told  them  what  I  had  done,  and  Uncle 
Kit  said,  *'Jim  and  I  will  get  dinner  and  the  balance  of 
you  go  and  help  Willie  bring  in  his  cow. 


94  OUR    SHANTIES    WERE    BUILT    IN  TWO   DAYS. 

We  found  her  in  fine  condition,  we  soon  had  her  skin 
ned  and  in  camp,  and  we  found  dinner  ready  when  we 
got  back.  After  dinner  Uncle  Kit  said,  **Come  boys 
let's  pack  up  and  move  to  our  camp  which  is  only  about 
a  half  a  mile  from  here,  and  tomorrow,  while  Jim  and 
me  are  at  work  on  our  shanty,  Willie  can  help  you  to 
move  to  your  quarters,  and  you  can  be  building  your- 
shanties,  so  we  can  get  to  work  as  soon  as  possible." 

We  gathered  every  thing  together  and  moved  it  to  the 
ground  where  we  were  going  to  make  our  winter  quar- 
ters, and  Uncle  Kit  and  Jim  selected  the  place  to  build 
our  cabin,  and  the  men  all  turned  to  and  went  to  chopping 
the  logs  and  putting  up  the  cabin.  By  night  the  body 
of  the  cabin  was  almost  up,  but  the  reader  must  bear  in 
mind  that  this  was  not  a  very  large  house.  It  was  ten 
feet  one  way,  and  twelve  the  other,  with  a  fire  place 
built  in  one  corner.  They  built  the  walls  of  the  shack 
seven  foot  high  and  then  covered  it  with  small  poles, 
covered  the  poles  with  fine  bows  and  then  there  was  from 
six  to  eight  inches  of  dirt  packed  on  them  and  the  cracks 
were  stuffed  with  mud.  The  door  was  split  out  of  logs 
called  puncheons  and  was  fastened  together  with 
wooden  pins,  driven  into  holes,  bored  with  an  auger. 
This  way  of  building  a  house  to  live  in  through  the  win- 
ter may  seem  strange  to  the  readers  who  are  accustomed 
to  all  the  luxuries  of  the  modern  home  of  civilization;  but 
we  considered  our  cabin  very  good  quarters,  and  we  were 
very  comfortable  that  winter. 


THE   LUCKY   MAN.  95 

The  first  morning  after  we  were  settled  in  our  new 
home  we  commenced  setting  traps  for  Beaver.  Jim 
Bridger  was  the  lucky  man  of  the  whole  outfit  in  catch- 
ing Beaver  all  that  winter.  Each  man  had  twelve  traps 
which  was  called  a  string,  and  a  number  of  times  that 
winter  Bridger  had  a  beaver  in  every  one  of  his  traps  in 
the  morning.  I  have  watched  him  set  his  traps  many 
times  and  I  tried  to  imitate  him  in  every  particular,  but 
I  never  had  the  luck  he  had. 

Uncle  Kit  told  me  a  number  of  times  that  winter  that 
it  was  a  good  trapper  that  made  an  average  of  catching 
five  Beaver  a  day,  during  the  trapping  season.  We  were 
all  very  successful  this  winter.  Beaver  was  very  plentiful, 
as  there  had  never  been  any  trappers  in  this  part  of  the 
country  before,  and  besides  that  was  an  exceptional  good 
winter  for  trapping.  The  winter  was  quite  cold,  but 
there  was  not  much  snow  all  winter  for  that  country. 
We  stayed  here  and  trapped  until  the  very  last  of  March, 
and  when  we  had  the  furs  all  baled  and  ready  for  pack- 
ing we  found  we  did  not  have  horses  enough  to  take  them 
all  out  at  one  time,  so  Uncle  Kit  and  Jim  Bridger  packed 
the  seven  horses  and  rode  the  other  two  and  struck  out 
for  Bent's  Fort,  telling  us  they  would  come  back  as  soon 
as  they  could  make  the  trip;  and  to  our  surprise  they 
were  back  on  the  tenth  day. 

We  had  every  thing  ready  for  them  to  break  up  camp 
when  they  came  back,  and  we  had  all  we  could  carry  the 
second  time.      All  of  the  nine  horses  were  packed,  and  we 


go  ANTEIOPE  BY  THE   THOUSANDS. 

all  had  to  walk  to  Bent's  Fort. 

After  we  left  the  Platte  we  took  up  a  stream  called 
Sand  Creek  which  leads  to  the  divide  between  the  Platte 
and  the  Arkansas  rivers.  Alter  we  camped  that  night 
Carson  said  to  the  boys,  *'Now  we  have  had  a  pretty 
good  variety  of  meat  this  winter,  but  we  hav'nt  had  any 
antelope,  but  we  are  in  the  greatest  country  for  antelope 
in  the  west  now.  Can't  one  of  you  boys  kill  one  tomor- 
row for  supper.^  But  I  am  sorry  for  Jim  and  Will  for 
Jim  can't  get  a  Beaver's  tail  off  of  it,  and  there  won't  be 
any  bear's  foot  for  Will  to  eat." 

Jim  answered,  *  *You  need'nt  worry  about  Will  and  me, 
for  we  may  make  you  sorry  twice,  for  when  we  get  at 
the  Antelope  there  may  not  be  enough  for  the  balance 
of  you." 

After  breakfast  next  morning  two  of  the  men  struck 
ahead  in  order  to  get  the  antelope.  Near  the  trail  about 
ten  o'clock  we  overtook  them,  and  they  had  killed  two 
nice  young  antelope,  One  said  that  if  they  had  had 
amunition  enough  with  them  they  could  have  loaded  the 
train  with  antelope.  That  day  we  saw  a  number  of 
bands  of  antelope,  and  I  venture  to  say  there  wxre  as 
many  as  eight  hundred  or  a  thousand  in  each  band. 

At  supper  that  night  Jim  Bridger  and  I  convinced 
Uncle  Kit  that  we  had  not  lost  our  appetite,  if  we  did'nt 
have  Beaver's  tail  and  Bear's  foot  for  supper. 

The  second  day  after  leaving  this  camp  we  landed  at 
Bent's  Fort  about  the  middle    of   the    afternoon.     That 


EACH  MAN    HAD    HIS    OWN  MARK.  97 

evening  and  all  the  next  day  Carson  and  Bridger  were 
counting  the  pelts  and  paying  off  the  men  for  the  furs 
they  had  trapped  during  the  winter.  Each  man  had  a 
mark  of  his  own  which  he  put  on  all  his  hides  as  he  took 
them  off  the  animal.  I  noticed  one  man  always  clipped 
the  left  ear;  that  was  his  mark.  Having  a  private  mark 
for  each  man  saved  a  great  deal  of  trouble  and  dispute 
when  the  time  came  to  separate  the  furs  and  give  each 
man  his  due. 

I  heard  Carson  and  Bridger  talking  after  they  had 
settled  with  the  men,  and  Bridger  said,  '*We  have  done 
twice  as  well  as  I  expected  we  would  do  the  past  winter." 

Carson  answered,  **Jim,  we  had  an  extra  good  crew  of 
men*  Every  man  worked  for  all  that  was  in  him  and 
when  they  earned  a  dollar  for  themselves  they  earned 
one  for  us.  I  am  more  then  satisfied  with  our  winter's 
work  and  what  it  brought  us." 

He  then  asked  Jim  and  me  what  we  intended  to  do 
that  summer;  Jim  answered,  **We  are  going  back  to 
Fort  Kerney  to  pilot  emigrants  across  to  California,  audit 
is  time  we  were  off  now,  for  I  believe  by  the  first  of  May 
there  will  be  lots  of  emigrants  there,  and  we  want  to  get 
there,  and  get  the  first  train  out,  and  if  it  is  possible  we 
are  going  to  make  two  trips  across  the  plains  this  season. 


CHAPTER   III. 


The  next  morning  Carson  left  Bent's  Fort  taking  his 
four  horses  with  hirn  going  to  his  home  at  Toas,  New 
Mexico,  and  Jim  and  I,  taking  five  horses,  pulled  out  for 
Fort  Kerney.  Nothing  of  interest  happened  to  us  on  the 
way;  and  we  made  the  trip  in  eleven  days.  As  soon  as 
we  got  to  the  Fort,  v/e  called  on  the  General;  he  was 
very  glad  to  see  us  and  invited  us  to  stay  all  night  with 
him.  We  accepted  his  invitation.  That  evening  at 
supper  General  Kerney  mentioned  my  rescuing  the  two 
women  at  the  head  of  Honney  Lake  the  year  before;  he 
recounted  the  incident  very  much  as  it  took  place. 

I  said  to  him,  **General,  how  in  the  name  of  common 
sense  did  you  hear  of  all  that.^" 

He  said,  -'Why  the  eastern  papers  have  been  full  of 
it;  and  it  will  be  the  best  thing  for  you  two  men  that 
could  have  happened;  for  no  doubt  there  will  be  hun- 
dreds of   people  here    on    their  way   to    California,    and 

(98) 


The  first  thing  we  knew  the  whole  number  that  we  had  first  seen 
was  upon  us. — Page  117. 


*'LET   ME   DO   THE   TALKING.  lOI 

when  they  see  you  two  men  who  are  the  heroes  of  that 
expedition  they  will  all  want  your  services  to  pilot  them 
across  the  plains,  and  I  assure  you  if  there  is  any  thing  I 
can  do  to  assist  either  of  you  in  any  way  I  am  more  than 
willing  to  do  it.  I  heard  yesterday  that  th«re  were 
several  small  trains  on  the  way  coming  from  St.  Joe,  and 
they  will  be  here  in  a  few  days,  so  you  are  in  good  time 
to  catch  the  first  of  them,  and  I  want  you  both  to  stay 
right  here  with  me  until  you  make  arrangements  to  leave 
for  California.  We  will  take  a  trip  down  the  road 
every  day,  and  if  there  are  any  emigrants  coming  we  will 
meet  them." 

After  breakfast  next  morning  an  orderly  brought  in  our 
horses,  all  saddled,  the  General's  as  well  as  our's.  We 
all  mounted  and  started  down  the  road.  We  had  made 
five  or  six  miles  when  we  saw  an  emigrant  train  coming 
towards  us.  The  General  said,  *'look  boys,  there  they 
come  now.      Let  me  do  the  talking." 

The  General  had  his  uniform  on,  and  Jim  and  I  were 
dressed  in  buck  skin  from  head  to  foot,  and  we  were  a 
rather  conspicuous  trio,  as  we  rode  up  to  them.  There 
were  six  or  eight  men  on  horse  back,  riding  ahead  of  the 
train.  As  we  met  them  the  General  saluted  them.  One 
of  the  men  said,  **is  this  the  commander  at  the  Fort.^" 

The  General  answered,  **I  am,  my   name  is   Kerney.'* 

One  of  the  men  said.  ^'General,  can  you  tell  us 
whether  the  Indians  are  on  the  war  path  or  not  between 
here  and  Salt  Lake?" 


I02  THE   BOY   ON    THE  IRON   GRAY   HORSE. 

The  General  answered,  *  *I  surely  can.  Every  tribe 
of  Indians  between  here  and  the  Sierra  Nevada  moun- 
tains is  on  the  war  path,  and  the  emigrants  who  get 
through  this  year  without  losing  their  lives  or  their 
stock,  may  consider  themselves  lucky,"  and  pointing  to 
jimand  me,  he  continued,  * 'these  two  men  took  a  train 
through  last  year  and  only  lost  two  men  and  would  not 
tiave  lost  them  if  they  had  obeyed  orders." 

One  of  the  men  asked,  **Are  these  the  men  that  piloted 
d  train  across  and  had  the  trouble  at  Honney  Lake  last 
year?" 

The  General  answered,  **Yes,  sir,  they  are,  and  that 
boy  sitting  on  that  iron  gray  horse  is  the  boy  that  plan- 
ned and  led  the  rescue  of  the  two  women  from  the  Ind- 
ians." 

One  asked,  **Are  these  the  two  men  the  papers  said  so 
much  about  last  fall.^  I  think  one  was  named  Jim  Brid. 
ger  and  the  others  name  was  William  Drannan." 

General  Kerney  smiled  and  answered,  **Yes,  these  are 
the  very  men." 

By  this  time  the  train  had  come  up,  and  the  other 
men  of  the  company  gathered  around  us  and  being  told 
w^ho  we  were  they  all  shook  hands  with  us,  besides  a 
great  many  of  the  ladies  got  out  of  the  wagons  and  came 
to  us  offering  their  hands.  The  people  were  all  from 
Missouri  and  Illinois.  A  man  by  the  name  of  Tullock 
from  Missouri  asked  us  what  v/e  would  charge  to  pilot 
their  train  to  California.     Jim  Bridger  turned  to  me  and 


AN   APPROVED    PLAN.  IO3 

said,  **Will  what  do  you  think  it  would  be  worth?" 

I  said  to  the  man  who  had  asked  the  question.  **  Drive 
on  about  five  miles,  and  you  will  find  a  little  creek  and 
plenty  of  grass.  Go  into  camp  there  and  select  five  or 
ten  men  to  act  as  a  committee,  and  we  will  be  there  at 
four  o'clock  to  meet  you.  You  must  give  your  commit- 
tee full  power  to  deal  with  us.  The  committee  must 
know  the  number  of  wagons,  the  number  of  men,  and 
the  number  of  grown  women;  it  will  be  more  satisfactory 
to  you  as  well  as  to  us  to  deal  with  a  few  men  than  for 
the  whole  train  to  take  a  part  in  the  business.'* 

This  plan  seemed  to  meet  with  the  approval  of  the 
men,  so  General  Kerney,  Jim  Bridger  and  I  left  them  and 
rode  back  to  the  Fort.  On  the  way  back  the  General 
asked  Bridger  how  much  he  meant  to  charge  the  emi- 
grants to  take  the  train  across. 

Bridger  said,  **What  do  you  say,  Will.^" 
I  answered,  "Jim,  I  look  at  it  this  way,  we  are  held 
responsible  for  the  people's  lives  as  well  as  their  stock  to 
get  them  to  California  in  safety;  just  think  of  the  respon- 
sibility we  are  assuming;  and  as  far  as  I  am  concerned  I 
will  not  undertake  the  job  for  less  then  four  dollars  a 
day." 

Bridger  answered,  **That  settles  it.  Will,  that's  just 
my  price,'* 

The  General  said,  "I  think  you  are  very  moderate  in 
your  charges;  I  should  think  they  would  jump  at  such  a 
chance;  for  I  assure  you,  you   will   have  your  hands  full 


I04  THE  COMMITTEE    WAS  WAITING. 

day  and  night." 

After  we  had  eaten  our  dinner  at  the  Fort  Gen.  Kerney 
accompanied  us  back  to  the  emigrant's  camp.  On  our 
arriving  there  we  found  the  committee  waiting  to  receive 
us,  Mr.  Tullock  introduced  us  to  the  others,  and  then 
said,  **We  want  you  to  tell  us  what  amount  of  money 
you  will  charge  us  to  pilot  us  across  the  plains  to  Calif- 
ornia." 

I  said,  * 'Gentlemen,  I  want  to  ask  you  a  few  questions 
before  I  answer  yours;  how  many  wagons  have  you  in 
this  train?"  Mr.  Tullock  answered,  **Sixty  four."  **How 
many  men.^"  <*One  hundred  and  forty  eight."  **How 
many  women?"  **Sixty  four." 

I  then  said,  *'I  will  now  answer  your  question 
as  to  our  price.  If  we  take  charge  of  this  train 
from  here  to  California  our  price  will  be,  four  dollars  a 
day  to  each  of  us,  with  this  understanding  that  Mr.  Brid- 
ger  has  entire  charge  of  the  wagons  both  day  and  night, 
and  I  to  have  the  charge  of  the  scout  force.  Now,  gentle- 
men, I  don't  suppose  any  of  you  know  what  the  duty  of 
a  scout  is,  and  I  will  explain  it  to  you.  Twenty  miles 
from  here  we  will  strike  a  country,  where  all  the  Indians 
are  hostile,  and  for  the  next  twelve  hundred  miles  they 
are  all  on  the  war  path;  now,  if  we  undertake  this  job  we 
shall  want  twelve  good  men  to  help  me  in  scouting;  each 
of  the  twelve  to  be  mounted,  and  our  duty  will  be  to 
protect  the  train;  three  men  to  ride  in  the  rear  of  the 
train  and  three  on  each  side,  each  three  to  keep  about  a 


**N0    BETTER  GUIDES  CAN    BE    FOUND."  10$ 

half  a  mile  from  the  train,  and  the  ot  her  three  in  the  lead, 
and  the  duty  of  these  scouts  will  be  when  they  see  Ind- 
ians coming  towards  the  train  to  notify  Mr.  Bridger  at 
once,  so  he  can  corral  the  wagons  to  protect  the  women 
and  children  and  the  stock,  and  my  duty  will  be  to  ride 
to  the  highest  hills  on  either  side  of  the  road  to  keep  a 
lookout  for  Indians  all  through  the  day,  and  at  night  to 
watch  for  their  camp  fires.  Now,  gentlemen,  I  have 
told  you  our  terms  and  if  you  decide  to  employ  us,  it 
will  take  four  or  five  da3^s  to  drill  the  out  fit  so  it  will  be 
safe  for  us  to  start  on  this  long  and  dangerous  journey. 
Now,  it  is  for  you  to  say  what  you  will  do." 

Gen  Kerney  then  spoke  for  the  first  time,  "Let  me 
say  a  word,  gentlemen.  These  men  know  every  camping 
ground  and  every  watering  place  and  also  every  Indian 
runway  from  here  to  the  Sierra  Nevada  mountains,  and 
you  could  not  find  better  men  for  guides  on  the  frontier, 
and  the  price  they  ask  for  the  dangerous  service  they  will 
give  you  is  the  least  you  can  expect  to  give. " 

The  committee  walked  away  from  us  a  short  distance, 
and  talked  among  them  selves  about  a  half  an  hour,  and 
then  came  to  us,  and  said,  they  would  accept  our  offer. 
Bridger  then  said,"  Now  gentlemen  I  want  you  to  pick 
out  twelve  men  that  are  not  afraid  to  ride  alone  and  have 
number  one  eye  sight  and  good  hearing,  for  no  doubt 
there  will  be  many  times  when  the  fate  of  the  whole  train 
will  depend  on  these  twelve  men.  Will  will  start  in  to 
train   them  tomorrow  morning  if  they  are  ready,  and  he 


I06  THE   BEGINNING   OF   THE   DRILL. 

Will  tell  them  and  show  them  just  what  they  have  got  to 
do;  and  I  want  every  teamster  to  have  his  team  hooked 
to  his  wagon  by  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning.  It  is  not 
necessary  for  you  to  take  down  your  tents  or  move  any 
of  your  camp  equipage  at  all;  fori  will  drill  the  teamsters 
out  on  that  little  prairie  yonder,"  and  he  pointed  to  a 
clear  space  a  little  ways  up  the  road. 

After  these  arrangements  were  made  General  Kerney 
went  back  to  the  Fort,  and  Jim  and  I  staid  at  the  emi- 
grant'scamp  that  night,  so  we  could  be  up  early  the  next 
morning  to  commence  our  work  of  drilling  the  men  for 
the  coming  trip.  My  men  reported  to  me  soon  after 
breakfast,  and  they  were  all  fairly  well  mounted  and  well 
armed;  each  man  having  a  pistol  and  a  rifle.  We  moun- 
ted our  horses  and  rode  about  a  half  a  mile  away  from 
camp,  we  stopped  and  I  explained  to  them  what  we  had 
to  do.  After  showing  them  and  drilling  them  about  two 
hours  I  asked  them  if  any  of  them  had  ever  shot  from 
his  horse's  back.^  They  said  they  never  had;  neither  had 
they  ever  seen  any  one  shoot  that  way.  I  went  a  short 
distance  to  a  tree  and  made  a  cross  mark  with  my  knife. 
I  then  said  to  them,  **now,  my  men  I  will  show  you 
what  you  must  learn  to  do." 

I  then  rode  a  hundred  yards  from  the  tree  I  had  mark- 
ed, turned  my  horse,  put  spurs  to  him  and  had  him  run- 
ning at  his  best.  When  I  came  near  the  tree,  I  fired  my 
pistol  and  also  my  rifle  as  I  passed  the  tree  and  did'nt 
miss  the  mark  over  a    foot    with   either  shot.     When  I 


THE   APPARENT  MYSTERY.  IO7 

returned  the  men  were  examining  the  bullet  holes  I  had 
put  in  the  tree.  One  of  them  said,  * 'that  is  wonderful 
shooting.  But  what  seems  to  be  a  mystery  is  how  you 
can  use  both  your  gun  and  your  pistol  so  near  together," 

I  showed  them  how  it  was  done,  and  then  I  said  to 
them,  **You  will  have  to  practice  this  way  of  shooting 
when  fighting  with  the  Indians.  They  never  stand  up 
and  fight  like  a  white  man  does,  and  if  they  should  at- 
tack us  they  will  be  on  horse  back,  as  that  is  their  gen- 
eral mode  of  fighting,  and  you  are  liable  to  meet  them 
any  moment,  and  you  will  be  in  a  country  some  of  the 
time,  where  you  can  not  see  a  hundred  yards  ahead  of 
you,  and  you  must  always  be  prepared  to  give  them  a 
warm  reception.  When  we  come  out  here  this  after- 
noon I  want  you  to  all  try  your  hand  at  shooting  the  way 
I  have  just  done,  from  off  your  horse's  back  with  him  on 
the  run." 

I  met  Jim  at  dinner,  and  asked  him  what  success  he 
had  training  his  teamsters.  He  answered,  "Why,  we  will 
get  there  bye  and  bye,  for  every  man  tries  to  do  his 
best." 

At  that  moment  two  of  the  committee  came  to  where 
Jim  and  I  stood  talking  and  said,  * 'There  is  another 
large  train  of  emigrants  in  sight,  what  are  you  going  to 
do  with  them.?" 

**I  don't  intend  to  do  any  thing  with  them,  "Jim  answer- 
ed, *Tt  is  the  business  of  you  men  of  the  committee  to 
cok   after  them,  but    if  they   join  this  train   they   will 


I08  ELEVEN    MEN    PULLED   OUT   ALONE. 

have  to  bear  their  share  of  the  expence,  the  same  as  you 
do." 

One  of  the  men  asked,  How  much  extra  we  would 
charge  to  take  the  other  train  under  our  protection.  Jim 
answered,  **If  there  are  forty  wagons  or  over  that  num- 
ber, we  will  require  one  dollar  a  day  extra  and  that  will 
lighten  the  expence  on  this  train,  and  they  must  comply 
with  all  the  rules  this  t.ain  does;  and  if  they  are  going  to 
join  us,  I  want  them  to  do  so  at  once,  for  I  want  to  get 
away  fro  m  here  day  after  tomorrow.'* 

The  man  said,  he  would  attend  to  the  matter  at  once, 
which  he  did,  and  all  of  the  new  train  joined  us  with  the 
exception  of  four  wagons  and  eleven  men.  These  eleven 
men  claimed,  they  could  take  care  of  them  selves  at  all 
times  and  in  every  place,  and  they  pulled  out  alone. 

The  train  over  which  Jim  and  I  had  control  now  num- 
bered one  hundred  and  four  wagons,  and  we  had  to  work 
day  and  night  to  get  them  in  shape  to  start  out  on  the 
road.  We  left  here  the  third  day  after  taking  charge  of 
the  train.  That  afternoon  when  I  took  my  scouts  out  to 
practice  shooting,  I  had  considerable  sport  at  their  ex- 
pence.  They  were  all  perfectly  willing  to  try  their  guns 
and  pistols,  but  they  wanted  some  one  to  take  the  lead, 
no  one  was  willing  to  be  the  first  one  to  shoot.  So  I  said, 
*'I  will  settle  the  matter  this  way.  I  will  call  the  name 
of  a  man,  and  he  must  take  his  place  and  shoot.**  The 
first  man  I  called  rode  out  saying,  **  I  have  never  shot 
from  the  back  of  a  horse.*'     I  answered,  *'Well  there  is 


PRACTICING    SHOOTING   FROM   THEIR   HORSES.    IO9 

always  a  first  time  for  everything,  and  the  quicker  you 
^tart  in  the  sooner  you  will  learn." 

He  rode  off  a  short  distance,  whirled  his  horse  and 
started  for  the  tree,  when  he  got  to  within  a  few  steps 
ol  the  mark  he  fired  his  pistol,  and  made  a  very  good 
shot,  but  the  report  of  the  pistol  frightened  his  horse, 
and  he  wheeled,  and  ran  in  the  opposite  direction  of  the 
one  he  was  going,  and  he  had  run  about  two  hundred 
yards  before  he  could  stop  him.  When  the  man  rode 
back  and  saw  the  shot  he  had  made,  he  felt  encouraged, 
and  said,  ,  *I  want  to  try  that  over  again." 

I  answered,  *'A11  right,  load  your  pistol  and  try  again, 
and  I  will  ride  by  your  side  and  perhaps  that  will  quiet 
your  horse." 

This  t'tKf^i  he  did  fine  for  a  green  hand  at  that  way  of 
shooting  The  next  man  I  called  on,  fired  his  pistol  be- 
fore b**,  got  near  the  tree,  and  his  horse  commenced  to 
ju/rp,  and  he  dropped  his  gun.  At  that  moment  Gen. 
Kerney  rode  up  to  us  and  said  to  the  man,  **That  is  one 
time  young  man  when  if  you  had  been  in  an  Indian  fight, 
you  might  have  lost  your  scalp  and  you  surely  would 
have  lost  your  gun.  You  must  do  better  than  that.  You 
must  all  take  an  interest  in  what  Mr.  Drannan  is  trying 
to  teach  you  to  do,  for  you  will  need  all  the  knowledge 
you  can  get  to  protect  not  only  your  selves  but  the  whole 
train  before  you  get  to  California.  The  Indians  are  all 
on  the  war  path  and  you  are  liable  to  have  a  brush  with 
them    any   day  after  you   leave    Fort    Kerney,    and  Mr. 


IIO**THE  GENERAL  KNOWS  WHAT  HE  IS  TALKING  ABOUT", 

Drannan  is  fully  competent  to  teach  you  how  to  meet 
them,  if  you  will  follow  his  instructions." 

After  talking  a  little  longer  to  the  men  the  Gen.  rode 
away;  and  I  was  glad  to  see  that  his  advise  had  a  good 
effect  on  the  men;  they  all  seemed  anxious  to  try  their 
hand  at  shooting  instead  of  being  backward  as  they 
had  been  before,  and  I  heard  one  of  them  remark  to  an- 
other, **Say,  man,  we  have  got  to  learn  to  shoot  from 
our  horses  for  that  General  knows  what  he  is  talking 
about,  and  now  let*s  get  in  and  learn  as  quick  as  we 
can." 

After  they  had  all  had  a  try  single  handed  at  the  mark 
on  the  tree  I  said,  **Now  men,  we  will  take  a  shot  all  to- 
gether." 

I  then  made  a  mark  on  the  ground  about  twenty  steps 
from  the  tree  we  had  been  shooting  at.  I  then  said  to 
them,  **We  will  go  back  to  our  starting  place"  which  was 
about  two  hundred  yards,  **then  we  will  form  inline, 
and  we  will  make  a  dash  as  fast  as  our  horses  can  carry 
us.  When  we  reach  this  mark  I  have  made  on  the  ground 
I  will  shout,  **fire"  and  every  man  must  be  ready  to  fire 
together,  and  be  careful  that  you  keep  in  line  together; 
for  if  you  break  your  ranks  in  an  Indian  fight  you  are  al- 
most sure  to  lose  the  battle;  this  drill  will  train  your 
horses  at  the  same  time  it  is  training  you." 

We  rode  back,  formed  in  line,  and  made  the  charge, 
and  I  was  very  much  surprised  at  the  way  the  men  all 
acquitted  them  selves.    When  I  gave  the  word  *  'fire,"  the 


EVERY  MAN  HAD  THE  MARK.  Ill 

report  was  almost  as  one  sound,  so  close  were  their  shots 
together.  I  went  up  to  the  tree  and  I  found  that  every 
man  had  the  mark.  I  told  them  that  they  had  done  ex- 
ceptionaly  well. 

**It  is  getting  near  night,  so  we  will  go  back  to  camp 
and  after  supper  we  will  practice  signaling  for  one  to  use 
in  case  of  danger  to  the  others." 

When  we  got  back  to  camp  Bridger  had  just  finished 
corralling  the  whole  train,  and  I  was  surprised  to  see  how 
neatly  it  was  done  considering  the  short  time  they  had 
been  drilling;  I  asked  Jim  when  he  would  be  ready  to  pull 
out,  he  answered,  **I  am  going  to  order  an  early  break- 
fast for  tomorrow  morning;  and  we  will  pull  out  as  soon 
as  we  can  after  we  have  eaten  it.  I  want  to  make  to  the 
crossing  of  the  Platte  tomorrow,  and  it  will  take  us  all  of 
the  next  day  to  cross  the  river,  and  as  the  river  has  com- 
menced to  rise,  the  quicker  we  get  across  it,  the  better  it 
will  be  for  us;  after  we  cross  the  Platte  we  will  have  no  more 
trouble  with  high  water  until  we  get  to  Green  river.  ** 

After  supper  I  got  my  scouts  together,  and  we  went 
out  side  of  the  corral ;  we  all  sat  down  on  a  log.  I  then 
asked  them  if  any  of  them  could  mimick  a  Coyote;  they 
all  looked  at  me  a  moment,  and  then  one  said,  **I  don't 
think  any  of  us  ever  saw  a  Coyote,  what  are  they,  what 
do  they  look  like?" 

I  could  not  help  laughing,  for  I  thought  everyone  knew 
what  a  Coyote  was.  I  told  them  that  a  Coyote  was  a 
species  of  Wolf,  not  as  dangerous  as  the  Grey  Wolf  but 


112  THE   COYOTK-HOWL   SIGNAL. 

three  of  them  could  make  more  noise  than  all  the  dogs 
around  the  camp  could,  and  I  said»  **you  will  see  them 
in  droves  between  here  and  California,  being  so  numer- 
ous the  Indians  pay  no  attention  to  them;  and  we  scouts 
often  use  the  howl  of  a  Coyote  as  a  signal  to  each  other 
because  this  noise  will  not  attract  the  attention  of  the 
Indians;  I  will  now  show  you  how  the  Coyote  howls." 

I  then  gave  two  or  three  yelps  mimicking  the  Coyote, 
and  before  I  had  given  the  yelp  the  Coyotes  answered 
me,  they  were  about  two  hundred  yards  from  us  in  the 
brush.  Some  of  the  men  jumped  to  their  feet  exclaiming, 
**what  was  that?" 

When  I  could  stop  laughing  I  told  them  those  were  my 
Coyote  friends,  answering  me. 

The  Coyote  and  I  kept  up  the  howling  several  minutes, 
and  quite  a  crowd  of  men  and  women  gathered  around 
me,  listening  to  the  noise,  and  they  all  wanted  to  know 
what  it  was  that  I  was  mimicking.  Before  I  could  ans- 
wer them  Jim  Bridger  who  had  come  near  unobserved 
by  me  said,  **Will,  suppose  we  give  them  the  double 
howl?" 

I  said,  **A11  right,*'  and  we  howled  together  just  a  few 
times  when  the  Coyotes  in  the  brush  turned  loose  and 
such  howling  I  never  had  heard  before  in  all  my  exper- 
ience among  them.  A  number  of  the  women  rushed  up 
to  Jim  and  me,  frightened  nearly  into  spasms  crying,  *  •  oh, 
is  there  any  danger,  of  those  dreadful  beasts  attacking 
the  camp?" 


I  REACHED   THE    RIVER   IN  TIME.  113 

Jim  laughed  heartily  and  assured  them  there  was  no 
danger  as  the  Coyote  was  the  greatest  coward  in  the 
forest  and  would  run  at  the  sight  of  a  man.  I  told  the 
men  that  they  would  not  have  any  scout  duty  to  do  un- 
til after  we  crossed  the  Platte  river  so  we  could  all  ride 
along  the  trail  together  and  practice  the  coyote  signal 
for  they  would  need  to  know  it  as  soon  as  they  crossed 
the  Platte  river. 

The  next  morning  we  were  astir  very  early,  had  our 
breakfast  and  were  on  the  road.  A  little  after  sunrise 
that  morning  just  as  we  were  pulling  out  Jim  said  to  me, 
**When  we  are  within  five  or  six  miles  of  the  Platte  I 
want  you  to  go  on  ahead  of  the  train  and  select  a  camp- 
ing ground  as  near  the  crossing  of  th  e  river  as  you  can; 
for  if  we  camp  near  the  crossing  we  can  get  the  train 
over  the  river  very  much  quicker  than  we  can  if  we  camp 
a  distance  back. " 

I  left  them  in  time  to  reach  the  river  an  hour  before 
the  train  and  hc>d  good  luck  selecting  a  place  to  camp 
not  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  crossing.  I  found  a  lit- 
tle grove  of  timber  with  a  beautiful  little  stream  of  water 
running  through  it  which  I  thought  was  just  the  place  for 
us  to  camp  that  night.  I  went  back  and  reported  to  Jim. 
He  said,  **Why  I  ought  to  have  remembered  that  little 
grove,  but  I  clean  forgot  it." 

As  soon  as  Jim  had  corralled  the  train  we  turned  our 
horses  over  to  the  herders  and  struck  out  down  to  the 
river  to  see  what  condition  the  water  was  in,  and  to  our 


114       AT  THAT  MOMENT  A  COYOTE  YELPED. 

satisfaction  we  found  that  it  had  just  commenced  to  rise. 
Jim  said,  *  *As  soon  as  you  have  eaten  breakfast  in  the 
morning  Will,  I  wish  you  would  ride  down  here  and 
cross  the  river  and  see  if  the  ford  is  clear  of  quick  sand, 
if  there  is  nothing  of  that  kmd  to  bother  us  we  ought  to 
get  the  whole  out  fit  over  by  noon." 

When  we  returned  to  camp  supper  was  ready.  While 
Jim  and  I  were  eating,  about  a  dozen  ladies  came  to  us ; 
among  them  was  an  old  lady  who  said,  *  'Can't  you  men 
coax  the  wolves  to  howl  again  to  night.?" 

Jim  answered;  **Yes,  but  I  will  bet  my  old  boots  that 
before  another  week  has  passed  you  will  want  us  to  stop 
their  howling  so  you  can  sleep, "  to  which  she  answered, 
**Well,  where  do  they  live?  We  don't  see  or  hear  them 
in  the  day  time. " 

Jim  told  her  that  the  Coyotes  stayed  in  hollow  logs  or 
caves  or  in  thick  brush  in  the  day  time  any  were  out  of 
sight.  Just  at  that  moment  a  Coyote  yelped;  he  was 
up  the  river  a  short  distance  and  for  the  next  two  hours 
there  was  a  continual  howl.  I  asked  the  old  lady,  if  she 
thought  the  wolves  needed  any  coaxing  to  make  them 
yelp.  She  said,  no,  she  guessed,  Mr.  Bridger  was 
right,  when  he  said  they  were  noisy.  Early  in  the  morn- 
ing I  did  not  wait  for  breakfast  but  mounted  my  horse 
and  went  down  to  the  river.  I  crossed  it  at  the  ford  to 
ascertain  whether  there  was  quick  sand  in  the  ford  en- 
ough to  interfere  with  the  crossing  of  the  emigrant 
train, 


**l  FOLLOWED  THE    INDIANS   TRAIL,"  II5 

I  will  here  explain  to  the  reader  that  it  was  very  nec- 
essary to  examine  the  fords  of  the  Platte  river,  as  it  was 
a  treacherous  stream  in  the  way  of  quick  sand,  but  this 
time  I  found  nothing  in  the  way  to  interfere  with  oui 
crossing.  When  I  got  back  to  camp  they  were  just  sit- 
ting down  to  breakfast.  I  told  Jim  that  there  would  bt 
no  trouble  in  crossing  the  river  to  which  he  replied,  **All 
right,  when  we  get  ready  to  cross  I  want  you  to  lead  the 
train,  we  will  cross  twenty  five  wagons  at  a  time,  and  1 
will  have  all  the  mounted  men  ride  on  each  side  of  the 
wagons  to  keep  the  teams  in  their  places." 

We  were  successful  in  landing  all  the  wagons  in  safety 
and  were  all  on  the  other  side  by  eleven  o'clock.  I  asked 
Jim  where  we  should  camp  that  night;  he  asked  me  how 
far  it  was  to  Quaking  Asp  Grove.  I  told  him  I  thought  it 
was  about  nine  miles  to  that  place. 

He  said,  **Well,  I  think  we  can  make  it  there  in  good 
season  and  that  will  be  a  good  place  to  camp." 

I  now  instructed  my  scouts  what  their  duty  was,  and 
we  pulled  out,  I  taking  the  lead  from  one  to  two  and  a 
half  miles  ahead  of  the  train. 

Late  that  afternoon  I  discovered  considerable  Indian 
signs  where  they  had  crossed  the  main  trail.  I  foUowec! 
their  trail  quite  a  way  and  decided  that  they  had  passed 
that  way  about  two  days  before. 

After  we  went  into  camp  I  rode  to  the  top  of  a  high 
hill  about  a  mile  away  to  look  for  Indian  camp  fires.  I 
was  soon  convinced  that  there  were  no  Indians  near  ua 


Il6    *'THE  REST  OF  THE  MEN  ARE  ALL  DEAD/* 

and  started  back  to  camp.  I  had  got  within  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  of  the  camp,  when  I  saw  two  men  sitting  on  a  log 
just  ahead  of  me;  I  rode  up  to  them  and  when  I  spoke 
to  them  I  recognized  them  as  two  of  the  eleven  that  left 
us  with  the  four  wagons  at  Fort  Kerney.  I  said  to  them, 
*  *Men,  what  are  you  doing  here  and  where  are  your  teams 
and  the  rest  of  the  men  who  went  with  you?'* 

They  answered,  *  *The  rest  of  the  men  are  all  dead, 
killed  by  the  Indians  night  before  last;  we  made  our  es- 
cape by  running  off  in  the  dark  and  we  hav'nt  had  a  bite 
to  eat  since  supper  that  night,  and  in  fact  we  did  not 
have  much  supper  then,  for  the  savages  came  on  us  when 
we  were  eating/^ 

I  said  **What  became  of  your  wagons  and  teams?" 

They  said,  they  did  not  know  what  became  of  them, 
for  they  made  their  escape  as  soon  as  the  Indians  came 
upon  them;  that  they  run  a  little  ways  and  stopped  and 
listened  to  the  cries  of  the  others  as  long  as  there  were 
any  left,  and  then  wandering  around  through  the  woods 
ever  since  not  knowing  where  they  were  or  what  would 
become  of  them,  and  they  continued,  **We  sat  down 
here  because  we  were  so  weak  we   could  go  no  further." 

One  then  asked  where  the  rest  of  the  train  was.  I  re- 
plied, pointing,  '  'It  is  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  over  there. " 

At  that  one  said  to  the  other,  * 'Let's  go  and  get  some- 
thing to  eat."  I  showed  them  the  way  to  the  train,  and 
as  they  were  intimately  acquainted  with  some  of  the  emi- 
grants they  soon  had  their  hunger  appeased. 


•*THE    INDIANS  CAME    UPON  US.  II 7 

While  they  were  eating,  they  told  us  their  experience. 
Three  or  four  miles  before  they  camped  for  the  night  they 
saw  the  Indians,  there  were  at  least  seventy  five  of  them 
they  were  on  the  north  side  of  the  road.  They  would 
come  close  to  the  road  and  then  disappear  again. 

**We  tried  to  get  near  to  talk  to  them,  but  they  ran 
away  as  if  they  were  afraid  of  us.  When  we  camped 
that  evening  there  were  about  twenty  five  of  them  on  a 
hill  not  more  than  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  from  us 
Two  of  the  men  started  to  go  up  to  them,  but  they  ran 
away,  and  that  was  the  last  we  saw  of  them,  and  so  we 
made  up  our  minds  that  they  had  gone,  and  we  thought 
no  more  about  them.  It  was  good  and  dark,  when  we 
sat  down  to  supper,  and  how  so  many  of  them  came  upon 
us  without  making  any  noise  is  a  mystery  to  us.  The 
first  thing  we  knew  the  whole  number  we  had  first  seen 
was  upon  us,  and  of  all  the  noise,  the  yells  and  whoops 
we  ever  heard,  they  made  the  worst.  If  they  had  come 
up  oat  of  the  ground  we  would  not  have  been  more  sur- 
prised, and  the  arrows  were  flying  in  every  direction.  As 
it  happened  we  two  were  sitting  a  little  away  from  the 
rest  of  the  men  eating  our  supper,  and  at  their  first  yell 
we  jumped  up  and  made  for  the  nearest  brush;  our  guns 
were  all  in  the  wagons,  and  the  Indians  were  between  us 
and  the  wagons,  so  we  had  no  way  to  defend  ourselves. 
We  went  a  little  ways  into  the  brush,  and  then  we  look- 
ed back  and  saw  the  Indians  using  their  tomahawks  on 
the  men  we  had  left,  and  in  a  few  minutes  all  the  noise 


Il8  THE    FATE    OF    THE   MEN 

was  over  and  we  supposed  all  the  nine  were  killed.** 

Jim  Bridger  then  said,  **You  two  men  are  the  luckiest 
chaps  I  ever  heard  of,  you  may  be  sure  that  the  Indians 
did  not  see  you  that  night,  or  they  would  have  trailed 
you  up  and  had  your  scalps  before  the  next  morning.'* 

One  of  the  committe  men  came  to  where  Jim  and  I 
were  sitting  and  said,  * 'What  shall  we  do  about  finding 
and  burying  those  bodies?" 

Jim  answered,  **That,  sir,  is  your  business,  not  ours. 
It  is  our  business  to  see  that  the  people  under  our  care  do 
not  meet  with  the  same  fate  these  men  have  met,  and  I 
do  not  intend  to  put  the  lives  of  all  this  train  in  danger 
by  stopping  to  hunt  for  the  remains  of  men  who  refused 
with  scorn  to  stay  with  us  and  share  the  protection  we 
offered  them;  they  brought  the  trouble  and  their  own 
deaths  on  them  selves,  but  I  will  say  this,  if  any  of  you 
men  want  to  hunt  for  these  bodies  and  take  the  time  to 
bury  them,  I  have  no  objection,  but  you  must  understand 
that,  when  you  get  outside  of  the  scout  force  we  shall  not 
be  responsible  for  any  thing  that  may  happen  to  you.** 

At  that  moment  more  than  twenty  men  spoke  together, 
saying,  **Mr.  Bridger  is  right,  Mr,  Bridger  is  right;  he 
proposes  to  do  just  what  he  agreed  to  do,  and  no  one  can 
blame  him.'*  One  of  the  men  then  asked,  if  we  would  be 
willing  to  stop  long  enough  to  bury  the  bodies,  if  we 
found  them;  Jim  said,  **We  have  no  objections  to 
stopping  if  it  is  a  suitable  place  to  make  our  camp, 
but   if  it  is'nt   we   can't   afford  to  lose  the  time,    as  we 


THAT  SCORNED  OUR  OFFERED  PROTECTION.     I  19 

must  make  certain  places  to  camp  every  day,  for  we  are 
now  in  a  hostile  Indian  country  and  in  order  to  protect 
our  selves  we  must  camp  in  certain  places,  for  without 
we  take  this  care  this  train  will  not  be  in  existence  a 
week,  and  Will  and  I  feeltheresponsibility  that  rests  upon 
us,  for  the  lives  of  your  women  and  children  as  well  as 
your  own  are  in  our  hands.  '* 

At  this  moment  a  middle  aged  lady  who  stood  near  us 
with  the  tears  running  down  her  cheeks  said,  *'Why  don't 
you  let  Mr.  Bridger  and  Mr.  Drannan  have  their  way.? 
You  see  what  these  other  men  came  to  by  not  obeying 
their  orders,  and  do  you  want  to  bring  us  all  to  the  pre- 
dicament they  are  in.?"  At  this  Jim  said,  **Iir  be  dog 
goned  if  they  will." 

This  settled  the  controversy  for   the  time  being. 

That  evening  before  we  turned  in  for  the  night  Jim  and 
I  talked  the  matter  over  together;  and  we  decided  that 
after  I  put  cut  the  scouts  in  the  morning  I  would  take  ten 
men  all  mounted  on  horses  and  keeping  about  five  miles 
ahead  of  the  train,  and  if  we  found  the  bodies  I  should 
set  the  men  I  had  with  me  to  work  digging  graves,  and  I 
should  turn  back  and  report  to  Jim  what  we  had  found, 
and  the  condition  we  found  them  in. 

As  soon  as  possible  the  next  morning  the  men  I  had 
selected  and  myself  pulled  out.  We  had  made  eight  or 
nine  miles  when  v/e  found  the  bodies  we  wxre  looking 
for,  they  were  all  laying  near  together,  around  what  had 
been    their  camp  fire,   and  all    of  them  were    scalped. 


I20  EVERY   HEAD   WAS    SPLIT. 

There  was  nothing  about  them  to  indicate  that  they 
had  made  any  effort  to  protect  themselves.  Every  one 
of  the  heads  was  split,  showing  they  had  been  toma- 
hawked, proving  that  what  the  two  survivers  had  told  us 
about  the  suddeness  of  the  attack  to  be  correct.  We 
found  their  wagons  nearly  empty,  the  covers  had  been 
torn  off,  the  most  of  the  bedding  was  gone  and  some  of 
their  clothing,  The  eatables  such  as  bacon  and  flour 
and  dried  fruit  was  laying  on  the  ground.  I  told  the  men 
I  thought  the  best  way  to  bury  them  would  be  to  dig  one 
large  grave  and  put  them  all  into  it,  and  they  seemed  to 
be  of  the  same  mind.  After  helping  to  select  a  spot  for 
the  grave,  I  left  them  and  rode  back  to  meet  the  train, 
and  report  our  find.  I  told  Jim  all  about  the  condition 
of  things  at  the  dead  men's  camp,  at  which  he  said.  *'I 
guess  we  had  better  stop  there  a  couple  of  hours  which 
will  give  us  time  to  bury  the  dead,  and  we  can  reach  our 
camping  ground  before  night.  ** 

On  reaching  the  place  Jim  coralled  the  train,  and  he 
then  went  to  dl  the  families  and  told  them,  that  two  hours 
was  as  long  as  v/e  should  stop  here.  I  said,  **I  will  take  a 
stroll  around  through  the  brush,  and  see  if  I  can  find 
some  of  their  cattle." 

I  had'nt  gone  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  when  I 
found  twelve  head  of  their  oxen.  When  I  drove  them 
back  to  the  wagons  the  two  men  said  they  were  just  half 
of  the  original  number.  They  yoked  them  up  and  hook- 
ed them  to  two  of  the  wagons  and  took  what  they  wanted 


THE  DEAD    WERE  LAID  AWAY  1 2  I 

of  the  provisions  and  clothes  and  left  the  rest  laying  on 
the  ground.  As  we  were  about  to  leave  Jim  said.  **It  is 
too  dog  goned  bad  to  leave  all  that  grub  for  the  Coyotes 
to  eat.  That  meat  and  flour  will  be  worth  fifty  cents  a 
pound  when  you  get  to  California.  '* 

Then  several  of  the  men  and  women  commenced  to 
gather  up  the  stuff,  the  men  carrying  the  flour  and  the 
women  the  bacon,  and  they  soon  had  it  all  stowed  away 
in  their  wagons. 

Having  laid  the  dead  away  in  the  best  manner  we 
could  under  the  circumstances,  and  every  thing  else  be- 
ing in  readiness  we  pulled  out  for  Barrel  Springs.  I  told 
Jim  not  to  look  for  me  until  about  dark,  as  I  intended  to 
climb  the  tall  hills  that  we  could  see  in  the  distance,  to 
look  for  Indian  camp  fires.  This  being  understood  my 
twelve  scouts  and  myself  left  the  train  in  Jim's  care. 
After  giving  the  eleven  scouts  their  orders  I  took  the  other 
one  with  me  and  took  the  lead.  Nothing  of  interest  oc- 
cured  until  we  had  nearly  reached  the  place  where  we 
were  to  camp  that  night.  Happening  to  look  up  on  a 
high  ridge  to  the  north  of  us  I  saw  a  large  band  of  Buf- 
falo coming;  towards  us,  and  I  thought  by  the  lay  of  the 
ground  that  they  must  pass  through  the  spot  where  we 
were  going  to  camp.  I  said  to  my  companion,  * -Let's 
hitch  our  horses  and  get  those  trees,  *  ^pointing  to  a  little 
grove  of  timber,  which  stood  near  the  springs,  "those  Buf- 
falo are  going  to  come  down  there,  and  we  want  to  get 
as  many  of  them  as  possible,  now  don't  shoot^  until  they 


122  AN  IDEAL   CAMPING  GROUND. 

are  opposite  us,  and  then  aim  to  break  their  neck  every 
time,  and  load  and  shoot  as  fast  as  you  can  after  you 
commence." 

We  only  had  a  few  minutes  to  wait.  When  we  reach- 
ed the  timber  the  Buffalos  were  opposite  us,  they  were 
within  thirty  feet  of  us.  We  both  fired  and  two  Buffaloes 
fell.  Now  it  was  a  race  to  see  who  could  load  first.  I 
was  the  quickest  and  got  the  next  one.  They  were  now 
on  the  stampede,  and  it  was  a  sight  to  see  the  number, 
that  was  passing  us.  I  got  three  of  them  with  my  rifle, 
and  one  with  my  pistol.  My  companion  shot  three  with 
his  rifle.  The  one  I  shot  with  my  pistol  I  don't  think 
was  over  ten  feet  from  me  when  she  fell.  She  was  the 
nicest  little  two  year  old  heifer  I  had  ever  killed  and  her 
meat  was  almost  as  tender  as  chicken.  We  went  to 
work  dressing  them  and  had  them  pretty  well  underway, 
when  the  train  arrived. 

Barrel  Springs  was  one  of  the  prettiest  places  for  a 
camping  ground  I  ever  saw.  It  was  in  a  small,  open 
prairie,  surrounded  by  scattering  timber,  a  stream  of 
cool  and  pure, sparkling  water  running  through  the  center, 
and  the  grass  was  almost  to  the  horses  knees. 

As  soon  as  Jim  had  coralled  the  train  he  rode  to  where 
we  were  at  work,  and  said,  *'Boys,  I'll  be  gol  durned  if 
this  ai'nt  one  of  the  times,  you  done  two  good  jobs  at 
once." 

I  said,  **How  is  that  Jiim?" 

He  answered,  * 'In  the  first   place  you   provided   meat 


A   STEW  WITH   ONIONS   WAS   A    RARE  DISH.  1 23 

for  our  supper,  and  in  the  next,  you  drove  the  Buffaloes 
off  so  we  have  plenty  of  grass  for  the  stock  for  their  sup- 
per. 

By  this  time  nearly  all  the  women  were  standing 
around  us.  This  was  the  first  Buffalo  they  had  ever  seen 
and  they  were  a  great  curiosity  to  them.  With  the  rest 
was  a  middle  aged  lady  and  with  her  she  had  two  daugh- 
ters nearly  grown.  The  mother  stood  near  me  watching 
me  work. 

She  said,  **Mr.  Drannan  may  I  have  a  piece  of  that 
yearlings  hind  quarter.?  I  will  tell  you  what  I  want  to  do 
with  it;  my  girls  and  I  have  picked  a  lot  of  wild  onions  to 
day,  and  I  want  to  make  a  stew,  and  we  want  you  and 
Mr.  Bridger  to  come  to  our  tent  and  eat  supper.'* 

I  assured  her  she  could  have  all  the  meat  she  wanted 
from  my  little  heifer.  One  of  the  girls  ran  to  their  wag- 
on to  get  an  ax  and  for  her  father  to  come  and  chop  it  off 
for  them.  By  this  time  the  men  had  about  finished  dres- 
sing the  Buffalo,  and  every  body  helped  themselves  to 
what  part  they  wanted.  There  was  plenty  for  all,  and 
some  of  the  rough  part  left  over.  It  did  not  seem  long 
to  me  when  one  of  the  girls  came  to  Jim  and  me  and  told 
us  that  her  mother  had  sent  for  us  to  come  and  take 
supper  with  them,  and  I  think  that  was  one  of  the  times 
we  did  justice  to  a  meal,  for  a  stew  with  onions  was  a 
rare  dish  for  us  woods  men  and  a  woman  to  cook  it  was 
a  still  more  rare  occasion.  As  soon  as  we  had  finished 
eating  Jim  stood   up  and  in   a  loud  voice  said,    **Ladies^ 


124  THE  music,  JIM  PROM^^Jit,  STRUCK   UP. 

how  many  of  you  can  dance?" 

I  think  there  were  as  many  t  s  twenty  five  answered,  '*I 
can  dance." 

Jim  said,  **A11  right,  get  read),  and  after  dark   we  will 
have  lots  of  music." 

One  of  the  men  asked,    ^^Wht^t'i  ^re  you  going  to  get 
your  music?" 

Jim  answered,  **Why  dog  gon  ir,  Will,  and  Mr.   Hen- 
derson have  engaged  a  band  to  pla>/  ^oi  vs  to  night.** 

And  in  a  few  momentpj  the  band  struck  up  in  a  Coyote 
howl,  and  Jim  laugh'ed  and  said,  **Theit;,  iid'nt  I  promise 
you  a  band.?  Is'nt  that  music?"  And  trom  then  until 
midnight  the  hov/ling  never  ceased.  It  -var^  something 
fearful  to  listen  to.  The  smell  of  the  Buffalo  hlood  made 
them  wild,  and  they  howled  worse  then  usual  tba.t  night 
A  great  number  of  the  emigrants  did  not  lay  ('own  until 
after  midnight,  and  time  after  time  asked  me  if  I  ^boughf 
there  was  any  danger  of  them  attacking  the  cimp.  1 
told  them  there  was  no  danger  from  them,  and  ib^i  If.  1 
knew  there  were'nt  any  Indians  within  twenty  miles  'An* 
I  could  stop  their  yelling  in  five  minutes.  They  ask^sd* 
how  that  was  possible.  I  told  them  that  if  I  was  sure 
there  were  no  Indians  in  hearing,  I  would  fire  my  gun  oS 
a  time  or  two,  and  we  would  hear  no  mora  of  the  Coy- 
otes at  night.  After  mid  night  they  quieted  d^wa  and 
every  one  went  to  sleep,  except  the  guards  who  watched 
the  camp. 

Jim  and  I  were  up  very  early  the  next  morning  and  call- 


CROSSING    THE    GREEN    RIVER.  12$ 

ed  all  the  others  to  have  an  early  breakfast,  telling  them 
we  had  to  make  twenty  miles  that  day  to  get  to  water 
and  grass  so  we  could  camp  that  night.  As  soon  as 
breakfast  was  over  Jim  said  to  the  women,  **Now  ladies, 
you  won't  have  any  more  music  to  dance  to  for  the  next 
three  nights,  for  you  will  see  no  more  Buffalo,  hear  no 
more  Coyotes,  or  see  any  Indians  until  we  cross  Green 
River." 

Several  of  the  ladies  said,  they  would  be  glad  if  they 
never  heard  any  more  Coyotes  howl,  they  did  not  like 
that  kind  of  music  to  dance  to,  or  to  be  kept  awake  all 
night  listening  to  them  either. 

For  the  next  three  days  every  thing  passed  along 
smoothly;  when  we  reached  Green  River,  it  was  rising 
rapidly,  and  we  had  a  great  deal  of  trouble  crossing  it. 
We  had  to  hitch  three  teams  to  one  wagon  and  six  and 
eight  men  had  to  ride  each  side  to  keep  the  teams 
straight. 

Green  River  is  a  mountain  stream  and  flows  very  rap- 
idly, and  at  this  place  was  very  narrow,  and  if  the  team 
should  get  ten  feet  below  the  Ford  they  would  be  lost 
so  swift  is  the  current.  We  worked  hard  two  days  get- 
ting every  thing  across  the  river,  but  we  got  everything 
over  in  good  shape  at  last. 

That  night,  after  supper  was  over,  we  told  all  the 
people  of  the  train  to  be  ready  for  starting  on  the  road  by 
sunrise  in  the  morning,  as  we  had  a  long  drive  before  us 
and  it  was  all  gradually  up  hill    at  that.      Several   of  the 


126  THE    SODA   SPRINGS 

women  asked  when  we  were  going  to  give  them  some 
more  Buffalo  meat.  Jim  burst  out  laughing,  and  asked 
them,  if  they  wantedsome  more  music  to  dance  to.  One 
girl  said,  **Have  we  got  to  have  music  every  time  we  have 
Buffalo  meat?" 

Jim  told  her  that  for  the  next  two  weeks  we  would 
have  music  every  night  whether  we  had  Buffalo  meat  or 
not  and  very  likely  there  would  be  times,  we  would  hear 
Indian  yells  during  the  day. 

•*By  that  time,"  he  said,  **We  shall  be  in  the  Ute 
country,  and  they  are  the  meanest  tribe  of  Indians  in  the 
west,  and  we  may  look  for  trouble  with  them  any  mom- 
ent, day  or  night.'*  And  addressing  the  men  he  said,  *'I 
want  you  to  keep  your  guns  loaded  and  ready  for  use  at 
a  moment's  warning,  and  you  must  stay  with  the  wagons 
all  but  the  scouts,  who  will  be  under  Will's  control,  for  if 
they  attack  us  I  want  to  give  them  as  warm  a  reception 
as  we  possibly  can,  for  if  we  whip  them  in  the  first  bat- 
tle, that  will  settle  it,  with  that  bunch,  they  will  not 
trouble  us  again.** 

The  next  night  we  camped  at  Soda  Springs,  There 
were  three  springs  close  together,  two  of  them  were  min- 
eral, one  strong  with  soda,  and  the  ether  was  very  salt, 
and  the  third  one  was  pure  cold  water.  As  soon  as  the 
wagons  were  coralled  several  of  the  young  girls  took 
buckets  and  started  for  the  springs  to  get  water  and  as 
luck  had  it  they  all  went  to  the  Soda  spring,  Not  one 
of  them  had  ever  even  heard  of  a  soda  spring    until  they 


THE    'TOISONED   WATER."  12/ 

tried  this  one.  They  had  not  had  any  water  to  drink 
since  noon  and  were  very  thirsty,  so  drank  very  heartily 
without  stopping  to  taste,  but  as  soon  as  the  water  was 
down,  there  was  a  cry  from  as  many  as  had  drank  and 
they  all  ran  back  to  the  wagons,  screaming,  **  oh*  oh!  I 
am  poisoned,  oh*,  what  shall  I  do?,"  and  with  their  hands 
pressed  to  their  breasts  and  the  gas  bursting  from  nose 
and  mouth  they  did  make  a  sad  sight  to  those  who  did 
not  understand  the  effects  of  soda  springs,  but  to  Jim 
and  me  it  was  very  amusing,  for  we  knew  they  were  in  no 
danger  of  poison. 

Some  of  the  sufferers  cried  as  well  as  screamed.  I 
could  not  speak  for  laughing,  for  I  remembered  my  own 
first  experience  in  drinking  from  a  soda  spring,  but  Jim 
told  them,  they  were  not  poisoned  and  told  them  what 
kind  of  water  they  had  drank.  In  a  few  moments  all  the 
crowd  was  at  the  soda  spring,  drinking  it*s  poison  water 
as  the  girls  still  called  it.  The  older  women  asked  what 
they  should  do  for  water  to  cook  with.  I  pointed  to  the 
salt  spring  and  told  them  to  go  and  get  water  from  that 
if  they  had  fresh  meat  to  cook,  and  the  water  would  salt 
it  and  for  coffee  I  pointed  to  the  spring  of  water  farthest 
from  us,  and  I  told  the  girls  they  could  drink  all  the  wat- 
er they  wanted  from  that  spring  and  not  have  to  make 
such  faces,  as  they  did  after  they  drank  the  soda.  One 
of  the  girls  said,  she  reckoned  I  would  have  made  a  face 
if  I  had  felt  as  she  did.  Jim  stood  near  us  with  a  smile 
on  his  lips  which   I  knew  meant  mischief  of  some  sort. 


128  THE  JOKE  ON   WILL 

He  said.  **Will,  why  don't  you  tell  the  girls  how  you  en- 
joyed your  first  drink  of  soda  water?"  And  seeing  how 
I  blushed,  for  my  face  was  burning,  he  said,  **IguessI  had 
better  tell  them  myself,  I  don't  think  you  knew  how 
comical  you  looked,'*  and  in  the  most  ridiculous  way  he 
could  think  of  he  described  how  I  looked  and  acted  on 
that  to  me  never  to  be  forgotten  occasion,  **My  first 
drink  from  a  soda  spring." 

I  have  been  told  there  is  a  large  town  at  this  place 
now,  and  that  it  is  a  great  resort  for  the  sick.  They  use 
this  salt  water  which  I  forgot  to  say  was  also  hot  as  well 
as  salt,  for  bathing  and  is  considered  a  great  cure  for 
many  diseases. 


Waving  my  hat,  I  dashed  into  the  midst  of  the  band.— Page  147. 


CHAPTER  IV 


The  next  morning  we  pulled  out  of  this  place  by 
the  way  of  Landers.  That  afternoon  about  two  o'clock 
I  saw  a  small  band  of  Indians  coming  directly  towards 
us.  They  were  about  a  mile  away  when  I  first  saw  them. 
I  rode  to  the  foot  of  a  little  hill  which  was  close  to  me 
at  the  time  I  saw  them.  I  dismounted  from  my  horse 
and  tied  him  to  a  sage  brush  and  then  I  crept  to  the  top 
of  the  hill  to  see  how  many  there  were  of  them.  I  watch- 
ed them  until  they  were  within  a  half  a  mile  of  my  hid- 
ing place;  I  then  counted  thirty.  I  took  them  to  be  a 
hunting  party  by  the  way  they  were  traveling,  I  signaled 
to  my  scouts  to  come  to  me  at  once.  When  they  reach- 
ed me  the  Indians  were  less  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from 
me.  I  told  them  what  was  coming  down  the  ravine,  and 
told  them  to  see  that  their  guns  and  pistols  were  in  order, 
**for,  as  soon  as  they  round  that  little  point  yonder,  we 
will  charge  on  them,   and  we    will  kill  every  one  we  can. 

030 


132  THE   INDIANS  WERE   TAKEN   BY   SURPRISE. 

Now,  don't  shoot  until  we  get  within  thirty  yards  of  them. 
I  will  say,  *'fire,"  then  I  want  every  man  to  get  an  Indian. 
Now  don't  get  rattled  but  shoot  to  kill  and  shout  as  loud 
as  you  can.  It  don't  make  any  difference  what  you  say, 
only  make  as  big  a  noise  as  you  can,  and  as  soon  as  you 
empty  your  guns,  pull  your  pistols  and  go  after  them." 

In  a  moment  more  the  time  had  come  to  act,  and  when 
I  said,  * 'Charge,"  every  man  responded  and  did  his  duty. 
I  had  been  in  several  Indian  fights  before,  but  I  never 
saw  Indians  so  taken  by  surprise  as  this  band  was.  They 
did  not  draw  their  arrows  or  nm,  until  we  had  fired  into 
them,  and  after  they  turned  to  run,  they  had  gone  at 
least  two  hundred  yards,  before  I  saw  them  try  to  shoot 
an  arrow. 

We  got  fourteen  of  them  in  the  first  charge,  and  inside 
of  three  hundred  yards,  we  got  six  more.  The  remainder 
had  reached  the  thick  brush,  so  we  let  them  go. 

We  now  commenced  catching  the  horses.  We  caught 
sixteen  horses,  and  they  all  had  good  hair  ropes  around 
their  necks.  We  tied  them  all  together  and  I  left  them  in 
charge  of  two  men,  and  the  rest  of  us  went  to  take  the 
scalps  of  the  Indians,  and  I  was  surprised  to  find  when  I 
said,  < 'We  will  take  the  scalps  of  these  Indians,"  that 
the  men  did  not  know  what  I  meant.  I  showed  them 
how  to  take  the  scalps  off,  and  then  they  asked  what  I 
was  going  to  do  with  them.  I  told  them  I  was  going  to 
give  them  to  Jim  Bridger,  and  he  would  make  guards  out 
of  them.     Jim  would'nt  take  the  biggest   hundred  dollar 


*'WE    HAD   TO   STOP   THE   TRAIN.  133 

bill  you  could  offer  him  for  these  scalps,  when  be  gets 
his  hands  on  them." 

One  of  the  men  said,  **What  will  Bridget  do  with 
them  horrid  bloody  things.^'* 

I  told  him  to  just  wait  until  night  and  then  Jim  would 
explain  the  use  they  would  be  to  him.  I  tied  the  scalps 
to  my  saddle,  left  two  men  to  care  for  the  horses  we  had 
captured  and  biding  the  others  to  follow  me  I  struck  out 
for  the  place  where  we  were  to  camp  that  night. 

Jim  told  me  that  night  how  surprised  the  emigrants 
were  when  the  train  came  to  the  men  who  had  charge  of 
the  horses,  and  seeing  the  bodies  of  the  dead  Indians. 

He  said,  '*I  had  to  let  them  stop  the  train  a  few  min- 
utes so  they  could  all  look  at  them.'*  He  said,  **Some 
of  the  women  wanted  to  know  what  had  become  of  the 
hair  off  the  top  of  their  heads.  I  told  them  that  I  reck- 
oned Will  had  taken  them  to  give  to  me." 

*  *And  what  are  you  going  to  do  with  those  horrid  Ind- 
ians hair?"  one  woman  inquired. 

''I  am  going  to  protect  you  and  the  rest  of  the  train 
with  them,"  he  answered  her. 

The  place  we  had  picked  out  for  camping  ground  that 
night  was  Sage  Creek.  There  was  no  timber  in  sight  as 
far  as  one  could  see;  there  was  nothing  to  see  but  sage 
brush,  but  there  was  plenty  of  good  water  and  fine 
grass. 

We  had  been  riding  around  looking  for  signs  of  Indians, 
so  we  did  not  reach   the   camping  ground   until  Jim  had 


134  THE  RED  HANDKERCHIEF  AROUND  THE  RAMROD. 

the  wagons  corralled.  I  gave  him  the  scalps  I  had  taken 
and  I  told  him  I  was  going  to  get  some  meat  for  supper. 
He  said,  **What  have  you  found?  Bison  or  Ante- 
lope?" 

I  answered,  **There  are  four  or  five  hundred  head  of 
Antelope  over  beyond  that  hill  yonder,"  and  I  pointed 
to  the  ridge  a  short  distance  from  camp,  **and  I  think 
I  can  take  my  scouts  with  me,  and  we  can  get  an  Ante- 
lope apiece  and  get  back  here  before  sun  down. "  Jim 
answered,  *  'All  right.  Will,  I  busy  myself  by  hanging  up 
my  scalps  while  you  are  gone." 

My  men  and  I  struck  out  up  a  ravine,  that  led  up  close 
to  where  the  Antelope  were  feeding;  we  were  screened 
from  their  sight  by  the  high  banks.  When  we  were  close  en- 
ough to  them  we  dismounted  and  tied  our  horses  to  some 
bush.  I  then  crawled  up  the  bank  alone  to  see  just 
where  the  Antelope  were,  and  to  my  surprise  I  found 
that  there  were  two  or  three  hundred  of  them  feeding  al- 
most on  the  edge  of  the  ravine  in  close  gun  shot  to  us.  I 
slipped  back  down  the  bank  and  got  to  the  boys  as  quick 
as  possible,  and  told  them  that  the  Antelope  were  on  the 
top  of  the  bank  in  close  gun  shot  of  us.  We  scattered 
along  down  the  ravine  for  perhaps,  a  hundred  yards,  I 
took  my  handkerchief  out  of  my  pocket  and  told  them,  I 
would  tie  it  around  my  ramrod,  *  'And  now  don't  any  of 
you  shoot  until  you  see  this  red  handkerchief  waving,  for 
the  color  being  red  it  will  attract  their  attention,  and  you 
will  see  more  heads  looking  towards  it  then  you  ever  saw 


ALL  THE    RIFLES   CRACKED   AT   ONCE.  1 35 

in  your  life  before.  Now  take  good  aim  and  be  sure  and 
hit  your  game,  and  as  soon  as  you  have  emptied  your  guns 
pull  your  pistols  and  get  some  more,  while  they  are  run- 
ning away;  we  ought  to  get  at  least  twenty  Antelope 
out  of  this  band." 

When  I  waved  the  handkerchief  it  seemed  as  if  every 
rifle  cracked  at  once,  and  it  was  a  lively  time  for  a  few 
minutes  for  all  of  us.  When  we  counted  the  Antelope 
we  found  we  had  shot  twenty  two.  We  each  took  an 
Antelope  in  front  of  us  on  our  horses  and  put  out  for 
camp.  When  we  got  there  we  unloaded,  and  some  of  the 
men  that  were  at  the  camp  commenced  dressing  them, 
and  cutting  them  up  in  pieces  to  cook,  while  the  other 
boys  went  back  to  get  those  we  had  left  where  we  killed 
them. 

The  women  had  the  fires  burning  when  the  meat  waf 
ready  for  cooking  and  when  supper  was  ready  all  the 
Antelope  were  dressed  and  distributed  around  among  the 
emigrants,  and  there  was  enough  to  last  until  the  second 
day. 

Jim  had  cut  long  sticks,  and  had  hung  the  scalps  on 
the  wagons,  so  they  could  be  seen  quite  a  distance  away. 
After  he  had  them  all  fixed  he  and  I  were  standing  to- 
gether talking,  he  telling  me  the  effect  the  sight  of  the 
dead  Indians  had  on  the  emigrants  and  especially  when 
they  saw  that  their  scalps  had  been  taken  off. 

Two  of  the  women  came  to  us  and  invited  us  to  eat 
supper  with  them   at  their  tent.     I    will  here  explain  to 


136  THOSE  BLOODY  SCALPS  ARE  YOUR  PROTECTION. 

the  reader  that  every  family  in  the  train  had  their  own 
separate  tent  and  cooked  at  their  own  fire.  Jim  and  I 
accepted  the  invitation  as  we  always  did  of  the  first  that 
invited  us  to  each  meal. 

As  we  finished  eating  it  seemed  as  though  all  the  wom- 
en of  the  train  gathered  around  us.  There  was  one  old 
lady  in  the  crowd  who  seemed  to  be  the  one  selected  to 
do  the  talking.  She  said,  **Mr.  Bridger  I  want  you  to 
tell  me  truly  don't  you  think  it  was  awfully  wicked  to  cut 
those  scalps  of!  those  Indians*  heads  and  then  hang  the 
dreadful,  bloody  things  up  on  the  wagons  for  us  to  look 
at?"  and  the  tears  were  in  her  eyes  as  she  finished  her 
question. 

Jim  replied,  *'The  best  thing  that  has  been  done  since 
we  started  on  this  trip  is  killing  those  Indians  and  better 
still  taking  their  scalps.  I  did  not  hang  those  scalps  up 
on  your  wagons  for  you  to  look  at.  I  hung  them  up  for 
the  Indians  that  are  alive  to  look  at,  and  I  will  tell  you 
this,  the  Indians  will  never  attack  the  train  as  long  as 
they  see  those  same  bloody  things  hanging  there,  for  they 
will  think  they  will  lose  their  own  scalps,  if  they  do.  I 
would  rather  have  these  Indian  scalps  to  protect  you  with 
than  a  hundred  of  the  best  soldiers  in  the  United  States 
Army.  The  Indian  does  not  fear  death,  but  he  dreads 
the  thought  of  having  his  scalps  taken  off  his  head,  for  it 
is  the  Indians  belief  that  he  cannot  enter  the  happy  hunt- 
ing grounds  after  death  if  his  scalp  has  been  taken  off  his 
head,  and  I  want  to  impress    on  your   minds  that  if  this 


THE    WHOLE  CROWD    SURROUNDED    US.  l^Y 

train  should  be  attacked,  every  one  of  you  that  fell  into 
the  hands  of  the  Indians,  itwouldnotmatter  whether  they 
be  men  or  women,  would  have  their  scalps  torn  off,  and 
the  same  scalps  would  be  hanging  up  on  the  Indians'  wig- 
wams for  the  squaws  to  dance  around,  and  I  want  all  you 
ladies  to  distinctly  understand  that  Will  Urannan  or  ray- 
self  will  do  nothing  while  we  have  charge  of  this  train 
but  what  will  be  of  benefit  to  you  all,  and  will  bear  the 
strictest  investigation. " 

By  this  time  every  one  in  the  train  had  surrounded  u$ 
and  turning  to  the  men  of  the  train,  Jim  continued,  **If 
any  of  you  are  dissatisfied  with  our  actions,  now  is  the 
time  to  say  so,  and  we  will  quit  right  here,  and  I  will 
guarantee  that  the  Indians  will  have  all  of  your  scalps, 
before  you  are  a  hundred  miles  from  here." 

At  this  moment  the  committee  came  to  us  and  said, 
**We  want  you  two  men  to  understand  that  there  is  no 
fault  to  be  found  with  what  you  have  done  since  you  took 
charge  of  this  train.  We  realize  that  every  move  you 
have  made  has  been  for  our  benefit.  Mr.  Bridger,  you 
have  no  doubt  found  out  long  before  this  time  that  in  a 
large  company  like  this,  every  one  can  not  be  satisfied, 
no  matter  how  hard  you  may  try  to  please  them  there 
will  still  be  some  growlers  and,  pardon  me  for  saying 
there  are  cranks  among  the  women  as  well  as  among 
men. " 

At  this  the  old  lady  who  had  called  Bridger  wicked, 
stepped  up  to  Jim  and  said,    **Mr.   Bridger  I  hope  you 


138  NO    MORE  COMPLAINTS  WERE  MADE. 

will  excuse  me,  for  what  I  said,  I  will  admit  that  I  did 
not  know  what  I  was  talking  about,  and  if  you  will  for- 
give me  this  time  I  will  find  no  more  fault  with  you." 

Jim  made  no  reply  to  the  lady's  remarks,  but  turning 
to  the  rest  of  the  company  he  said,  **Now  get  ready  to 
have  a  good  dance  to  night,  for  we  are  going  to  have  lots 
of  music,  for  the  Coyotes  will  smell  the  blood  of  the  Ind- 
ians on  one  side  of  us  and  that  of  the  Antelope  on  the 
other  side,  so  there  will  be  music  from  a  double  band." 

This  was  the  last  word  of  complaint  that  was  expressed, 
while  we  were  with  this  train.  Every  one  seemed  satis- 
fied and  all  things  went  pleasantly  from  this  time  on.  But 
talk  about  Coyotes' howling.  This  was  one  of  the  nights 
when  they  did  howl.  They  came  so  close  to  us  that  we 
could  hear  them  snap  their  teeth,  apparently  there  were 
hundreds  of  them  around  us. 

After  leaving  this  camp  we  had  no  more  trouble  for  two 
days.  The  second  night  we  camped  on  a  little  stream 
which  was  a  tributary  to  Snake  river.  In  the  morning 
before  we  camped  at  this  place  I  told  Jim  when  Heft  him 
with  my  scouts,  that  he  need  not  expect  to  see  me  until 
supper  time.  **You  know  Jim,  that  we  are  in  the  heart 
of  the  Ute  country,  and  I  shall  prospect  every  hill  or  ra- 
vine where  there  is  liable  to  be  found  signs  of  Ind- 
ians. 

That  evening  it  was  perhaps  a  couple  of  miles  before 
we  got  to  the  camp  and  a  mile  or  so  away  from  the  other 
scouts,  I  run  on  three  wagons,  standing  right  in  the  mid- 


I    FOUND   THREE    SKELETONS.  1 39 

die  of  the  road.  After  examining  them  a  few  minutes,  I 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  they  had  been  standing 
where  they  were  all  winter,  I  saw  that  there  had  been  ox- 
teams  attached  to  them  some  time,  but  there  was  no  sign 
of  yokes  there.  The  covers  were  still  on  the  wagons,  so 
I  got  off  my  horse  and  climbed  into  one  of  them.  I 
found  some  flour  and  probably  three  hundred  pounds  of 
bacon  in  the  three  wagons.  There  was  no  bedding  but 
some  clothing  for  both  men  and  women  which  was  quite 
old  and  worn,  On  the  front  gate  of  one  of  the  wagons 
I  found  considerable  blood,  and  there  was  blood  on  the 
tongue  of  the  same  wagon.  I  now  made  an  examination 
of  the  ground  to  see  if  there  were  any  signs  of  a  fight. 
After  I  had  looked  around  some  time.  I  was  convinced 
that  the  owners  of  the  wagons,  who  ever  they  had  been, 
had  been  massacred  by  the  Indians. 

About  forty  steps  from  the  wagons  I  found  the  remains 
of  three  people.  One  was  a  large  body,  that  of  a  man 
and  one  a  medium  size  which  I  took  for  the  body  of  a 
woman,  and  the  other  was  a  small  child.  All  there  was 
left  of  them  was  their  bones  and  some  hair,  the  Wolves 
having  stripped  the  flesh  entirely  from  them. 

I  signaled  to  my  scouts  to  come  to  me.  As  soon  as 
they  came  I  told  them  to  take  all  the  grub  out  of  the 
wagons  and  put  it  in  a  pile,  and  I  would  go  back  and 
meet  the  train,  and  have  three  men  appointed  to  distri- 
bute the  stuff  among  the  families.  I  told  the  boys  that 
there  were  two  trunks  in    the  wagons  and  to  break  them 


I40      THE  TRUNK  WAS  FULL   OF  WOMEN  S  CLOTHES. 

open  and  see  what  was  in  them.** 

They  did  so  and  found  them  full  of  women's  clothes, 
some  of  the  garments  of  very  nice  material.  I  rode  back 
and  met  the  train  and  told  Jim  what  I  had  found,  and 
what  I  thought  we  had  best  do. 

He  selected  three  men  to  divide  the  provisions  among 
the  families  of  the  train.  I  never  inquired  what  they 
did  with  the  clothes,  that  was  in  the  trunks. 

We  hunted  all  around  in  every  direction,  but  we  could 
find  no  more  bodies  so  if  there  had  b^en  others,  the  Ind- 
ians must  have  taken  them  into  captivity  or,  what  was 
more  likely  the  Coyotes  had  dragged  them  away  into  the 
brush  beyond  our  reach. 

After  the  emigrants  had  stored  the  provisions  in  their 
wagons  we  went  on  to  the  place  we  had  selected  for  a 
camping  ground  for  that  night.  I  proceeded  the  train  a 
half  a  mile,  and  I  found  plenty  of  Indian  signs,  but  they 
were  all  old.  All  their  trails  were  pointing  south  that 
night.  I  asked  Jim,  why  all  the  Indians  were  going 
south,  this  time  of  the  year.  He  told  me  that  they  were 
going  to  hunt  big  game  such  as  Buffalo,  Bison  and  Elk, 
and  they  had  to  go  further  south  to  find  such  game  and 
he  said,  he  should  not  be  surprised,  if  we  did  not  see  an- 
other Indian  until  we  struck  the  Sink  of  Humboldt. 

''But  you  may  look  out  then,  for  we  will  find  them 
then  in  plenty. "  As  Jim  finished  this  remark  one  of  my 
scouts  came  riding  into  camp  at  full  speed.  Jim  and  I 
went  to  meet  him  for  we  suspected   that  something  was 


THE    MAGIC   EFFECT    OF  THE    SCALPS  I4I 

up.  As  soon  as  he  got  in  speaking  distance  he  said  to 
me,  **There  are  a  thousand  Indians  up  on  that  ridge  yon- 
der, and  they  are  coming  this  way;  they  are  all  on  horse 
back  and  there  are  women  and  children  with  them.'*  Jim 
asked,  how  far  off  they  were,  he  said,  he  did'nt  believe 
they  were  over  a  mile  from  camp  at  this  minute;  Jim 
mounted  his  horse  and  went  to  the  herders  and  ordered 
them  to  corral  the  stock  at  once,  at  the  same  time  tell- 
ing every  man  to  get  his  gun  and  form  in  line  for  the  Ind- 
ians were  coming  upon  us,  and  the  reader  may  be  sure 
that  every  body  and  every  animal  in  that  train  was  mov- 
ing lively  for  a  few  minutes. 

As  soon  as  the  stock  was  corralled  Jim  rode  up  to  me 
with  one  of  the  sticks  that  had  a  scalp  on  it  in  his  hand. 
Handing  it  to  me  he  said,  ''Here  Will,  take  this  and  ride 
out  a  little  ways  from  the  corral  and  when  the  Indians 
come  where  they  can  see  you,  wave  it  over  your  head,  so 
they  will  be  sure  to  see  the  scalps,  and  I  will  get  another 
bunch  and  I  will  stand  close  to  you  at  the  same  time." 

In  a  few  minutes  more  the  Indians  hove  in  sight,  they 
were  in  less  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  us  before  they 
could  see  the  whole  train.  As  soon  as  they  got  a  good 
sight  of  us  the  whole  band  stopped.  The  leader  of  the 
band  was  a  war  chief.  We  knew  this  by  his  dress.  As 
soon  as  they  stopped  Jim  and  I  rode  out  towards  them, 
waving  the  scalps  like  a  flag. 

The  old  chief  looked  at  us  a  moment  then  turned  and 
seemed  to  be  talking  with  some  of  the  other  braves  a  few 


142      BETTER  THAN  AN  ARMY  OF  SOLDIERS. 

minutes,  then  the  whole  tribe  pulled  out  in  a  westerly 
direction  from  us,  and  in  a  short  time  they  were  out  of 
our  sight,  and  their  pace  was  lively  the  reader  may  be 
sure  for  the  sight  of  the  scalps  had  frightened  them,  as 
they  feared  they  would  meet  the  same  fate  if  they  did  not 
get  away  from  us  quick. 

I  followed  them  quite  a  distance  to  make  sure  that 
they  had  gone.  When  I  got  back  every  thing  had  quiet- 
ed down  and  the  company  was  just  sitting  down  to  sup- 
per. 

After  Jim  and  I  had  got  through  eating  two  of  the  com- 
mittee came  to  us  and  as  many  as  forty  or  fifty  women 
old  and  young  were  with  them.  The  men  said  to  us, 
''These  women  have  asked  us  to  come  to  you  and  tender 
their  most  heart  felt  thanks  to  you  for  what  you  have 
done  for  them  to  day,  for  we  are  all  sure  we  would 
have  fallen  victims  to  the  savages  if  you  had  not  been 
with  us  to  protect  us  from  them.  It  was  the  easiest  won 
battle  that  I  ever  heard  of,  and  all  because  you  knew  how 
to  fight  the  savages  with  their  own  weapon." 

Jim  answered,  **Did'nt  I  tell  you  that  them  scalps 
was  worth  an  army  of  soldiers  to  us  and  hasn't  this  prov- 
ed my  words  to  be  true?  What  would  a  hundred  soldiers 
have  done  with  that  whole  tribe  of  Indians?  There 
would'iit  have  beea  a  man  of  them  left  in  an  hour  to  tell 
the  story,  and  every  one  of  their  scalps  would  b«  bang- 
ing to  the  Indians-  belts,  and  I  want  you  to  all  bear  in 
mind  that  for  the  next  three  hundaed  miles,  we  are  liable 


THE   WOMEN   SHOWED   GREAT   BRAVERY.  I43 

to  have  just  such  another  experience  any  hour  of  the  day 
or  night,  and  I  want  to  ask  you  all  to  do  as  you  done  this 
time.  Only  keep  cool  and  obey  our  orders,  and  I  think 
we  will  get  you  through  in  safety,  and  I  want  to  say  this 
for  the  ladies,  they  showed  great  bravery  to  day  in  keep- 
ing so  quiet  and  having  good  sense  staying  under  cover, 
and  I  did  not  hear  a  sound  from  any  of  them,  and  I  will 
tell  the  girls  that  I  will  recommend  them  to  the  best  look- 
ing young  frontiers'-men  I  am  acquainted  with,  as  wifcs, 
especially  if  they  learn  to  dance  to  the   Coyote's  music.** 

This  made  a  laugh  all  around  and  took  the  edge  off  of 
ehe  danger  that  had  clouded  the  peoples'  faces  which  was 
the  motive  Jim  had  in  view,  in  making  the  joking  re- 
marks, for  no  one  knew  better  than  Jim  did  how  neces- 
sary it  is  to  keep  a  company  in  good  spirits,  and  to 
keep  them  from  dwelling  on  the  danger  that  might  threa- 
ten them. 

There  was  nothing  to  interrupt  our  slumbers  that  night, 
and  we  arose  refreshed  the  next  morning  ready  for  the 
days  journey  and  what  ever  was  before  us. 

For  the  next  three  days  nothing  happened  to  interfere 
with  our  journey.  The  third  day  brought  us  to  the  foot 
of  Look  Out  mountain  which  is  a  spur  of  thp  Sierra  Neva 
da  mountains.  In  the  eastern  part  of  v/l^  is  now  the 
State  of  Nevada,  but  which  was  at  that  time  one  of  the 
wildest  countries  in  all  the  west  this  particular  portion 
I  am  speaking  aboat  was  InbabUod  solely  by  the  Ute 
Indians,  which  at  that  time  was  a  v^^xy  large  tribe,    and 


144  THEY   ARE    NOT   CIVILIZED    YET. 

one  of  the  most  barbarous  tribe  that  ever  inhabited  North 
America. 

It  is  now  fifty  years  ago  since  the  events,  I  am  speak- 
ing of  took  place,  and  after  all  that  Uncle  Sam  has  done 
for  them,  they  are  not  civilized  yet. 

At  the  time  I  speak  of,  this  tribe  inhabited  all  of  the 
country  from  Snake  river  on  the  north  to  the  Colorado 
river  on  the  south  and  probably  four  hundred  miles  east 
and  west,  and  at  that  time  it  was  one  of  the  greatest  game 
countries  west  of  the  Rocky  mountains.  Such  game  as 
Buffalo,  Elk,  Antelope  and  Deer  ranged  all  through  that 
country  in  countless  numbers.  The  Buffalo  traveled 
much  less  in  that  particular  portion  of  the  country  than 
they  did  in  the  country  east  of  the  Rocky  mountains. 
The  Buffalo  that  inhabited  this  part  of  the  country 
scarcely  ever  crossed  Snake  river  on  the  north  or  strayed 
as  far  as  what  is  now  known  as  the  States  of  Oregon  and 
Idaho,  and  it  was  no  uncommon  sight  to  see  from  fifty  to 
two  hundred  and  fifty  Elk  in  one  band.  It  would  seem 
unreasonable  at  this  period  to  tell  how  many  Antelope 
one  could  see  in  one  day. 

But  to  return  to  the  emigrant  train  and  our  camp  at 
the  foot  of  Look  Out  mountain.  Just  before  I  got  to  our 
intended  camping  place  I  crossed  a  trail  where  the  Ind- 
ians had  just  passed.  I  followed  this  trail  for  some  dis- 
tance and  judging  from  the  signs  I  decided  there  was 
quite  a  large  band,  five  hundred  or  more  of  them. 

I  went  back  to  the  main  trail  and  signaled  to  my  scouts 


REACHED  THE    CAMP  IN    SAFETY.  I45 

to  coHie  to  me.  I  selected  one  to  go  with  me,  gave  the 
others  their  orders  what  to  do,  telling  them  to  be  sure 
and  tell  Bridger  to  not  look  for  us  until  he  saw  us,  for  I 
was  going  to  follow  a  trail  until  I  found  where  the  Indians 
went  into  camp. 

Myself  and  my  assistants  now  took  the  trail  of  the  Ind- 
ians, and  we  followed  it  about  five  miles  when  we  came 
to  a  high  ridge,  and  as  we  looked  down  into  the  valley 
we  saw  the  Indians  in  camp. 

I  was  now  satisfied  that  the  Indians  had  not  seen  us 
and  would  not  see  us,  so  we  turned  and  rode  back  to  the 
place  where  we  started  from.  When  we  reached  the 
camping  ground  Jim  had  just  got  the  train  corraled.  I 
reported  to  him  what  I  had  seen  and  where  the  Indians 
were.  After  listening  to  my  report  Jim  said,  **That  is 
good.      There  is  no  danger  from  that  band  anyway." 

We  passed  a  quiet  night  at  this  camp.  The  next 
morning  we  were  up  very  early  and  got  an  early  start  on 
the  road  for  we  had  a  long  drive  before  us  that  day,  as 
it  was  all  of  twenty  miles  before  we  could  reach  water 
again. 

Before  we  started  that  morning  Jim  said  to  me,  ''Keep 
a  sharp  look  out  for  Buffalo  when  you  get  near  the  next 
water,  for  if  there  are  no  Indians  there,  you  will  be  sure 
to  find  Buffalo,  and  tomorrow  being  Sunday  we  will  lay 
over  a  day  and  rest  up,  and  if  we  can  have  some  fresh 
meat  I  think  every  one  will  enjoy  it." 

I  answered,  that  if  there  were  any  Buffalo  in  that  part 


146  NO   INDIANS*   TRACKS    IN   SIGHT. 

of  the  country,  I  would  surely  find  them,  **{or,  besides  the 
treat  the  Buffalo  will  be  to  us  we  can  have  another  Coy- 
ote dance. " 

Jim  clapped  his  hands  and  laughing,  replied,  *'Yes, 
Will,  I'll  be  dog  gorned  if  we  won't,  for  the  Coyotes 
will  howl  to  beat  any  band  if  you  can  kill  a  few  Buf- 
faloes." 

I  and  my  scouts  pulled  out  at  once  and  to  my  surprise 
I  did  not  see  an  Indian  track  all  that  day.  When  I  was 
within  three  or  four  miles  of  the  place  where  we  were  to 
camp,  I  commenced  to  see  signs  of  Buffalo,  so  I  signaled 
all  the  other  scouts  to  come  to  me.  As  soon  as 
they  came,  I  showed  them  the  tracks  of  the  Buffalo  in 
the  sand,  and  then  I  told  them  that  we  would  scatter  out 
and  go  in  a  breast,  keeping  about  a  hundred  yards  apart, 
and  keep  a  sharp  look  out,  and  if  either  of  us  see  any 
Buffalo,  signal  to  the  rest  of  us  to  come,  **for,  we  are 
going  to  lay  over  in  this  camp  tomorrow,  and  we  want 
some  Buffalo  meat  to  feast  on." 

We  saw  no  Buffalo  until  we  were  almost  to  the  camp- 
ing ground,  then  one  of  the  men  discovered  a  herd  of 
perhaps  twenty  five  cows  and  calves  in  a  little  valley 
close  to  the  place  where  we  were  going  to  camp. 

As  soon  as  he  saw  them,  he  signaled  to  the  balance  of 
us,  and  we  got  to  him  as  quickly  as  possible.  On  examin- 
ation of  the  valley  we  found  that  there  was  only  one  way 
the  Buffaloes  could  get  out  and  that  was  the  way  they  went 
in  which  led    down  to    where    our  camp  would    be  that 


A   BUFFALO  CHASE.  147 

night.  There  were  not  more  than  eight  or  ten  acres  in 
the  whole  valley,  and  it  was  almost  surrounded  by  high 
bluffs,  and  the  only  outlet  which  was  not  more  than 
thirty  paces  wide  led  directly  to  thd  spot  where  we  in- 
tended to  camp  over  Sunday. 

I  told  the  men  to  dismount,  and  tie  their  horses  to 
some  Sage  brush  that  was  near  and  go  down  to  a  little 
grove  of  trees  that  stood  at  the  mouth  of  the  val- 
ley. 

*'I  will  ride  in  among  them  and  try  to  separate  the  herd 
so  we  can  get  as  many  of  them  as  possible  and  aim  to 
kill  the  smallest  of  the  band,  as  they  pass  you.  If  I  am 
successful  in  separating  the  band,  and  you  can  get  two 
shots  at  them  we  will  get  all  the  meat  we  want.  I  will 
try  to  hold  all  the  calves  until  the  cows  are  out  of  the 
valley,  and  when  the  last  cow  is  out  all  you  men  rush 
and  close  the  openmg  and  then  we  will  have  lots  of  sport 
killing  the  calves.*' 

As  I  rode  into  the  valley  all  the  Buffaloes  ran  to  the  op- 
posite end,  and  I  saw  then  that  I  should  have  a  hard  time 
to  separate  them.  I  rode  quickly  to  where  they  were 
all  in  a  bunch.  As  I  drew  near  them  they  all  broke  for 
the  out  let  in  one  body.  I  took  my  hat  off,  and  waving 
it  over  my  head  and  with  a  yell  I  dashed  into  the  midst 
of  the  band  and  succeeded  in  separating  three  cows  and 
ten  calves.  At  one  time  I  thought  they  would  run  over 
me  and  my  horse  in  spite  of  all  I  could  do  to  prevent  it. 
But    finally  I  separated    the  three  cows  and  ten    calves 


148  A   STRANGE   PET. 

from  the  rest  and  turned  them  back  to  the  head  of  the 
valley.  I  now  heard  the  report  of  the  guns  so  I  knew 
the  men  were  getting  some  meat.  I  then  rode  back  to 
them  as  quickly  as  I  could,  and  I  found  they  had  shot  ten 
Buffalo  cows,  which  all  lay  dead  within  a  few  feet  of 
each  other. 

I  said,  **Now  boys,  we  have  enough  cows,  but  we 
want  some  of  the  calves,  and  I  will  go  up  and  start  them 
down,  and  you  let  the  cows  all  pass  out  but  hold  the 
calves  inside,  and  shoot  all  of  them  you  can." 

I  went  back  to  the  other  end  of  the  valley,  and  as  luck 
was  on  my  side  the  cows  separated  themselves  from  the 
calves,  and  I  had  no  trouble  in  running  the  cows  out 
which  I  did  at  full  speed.  I  then  said,  *  -Now  boys,  you 
may  kill  all  these  calves  but  one,  and  that  one  I  am  going 
to  have  for  a  pet." 

They  all  commenced  to  laugh  and  asked,  **How  are 
you  going  to  catch  it.^'* 

I  answered,  **You  just  watch  me,"  at  the  same  time  I 
was  loosening  the  retta  from  my  saddle.  I  then  rode  up 
near  to  where  the  calves  were  huddled  together,  and  as 
they  started  to  run  I  threw  my  rope  at  the  largest  one  in 
the  bunch  and  caught  him  around  the  neck,  and  there 
was  some  lively  kicking  and  bucking  for  a  few  minutes, 
but  he  found  it  was  no  use  to  struggle.  After  that 
it  took  only  a  few  minutes,  before  the  men  had  all  the 
others  killed. " 

The  excitement  being  over  I  looked  down  to  the  other 


JIM  WAS  THE    FIRST   TO  MEET  US.  I49 

end  of  the  valley  and  saw  that  Bridgcr  had  the  train  cor- 
ralled. I  sent  one  of  the  men  to  tell  Jim  to  send  ten  or 
twelve  teams  up  the  valley  to  drag  the  Buffaloes  down  to 
camp.  The  men  reported  the  number  of  cows  and  calves 
we  had  killed  and  Jim  sent  enough  teams  to  drag  them 
all  down  to  camp  in  one  trip. 

As  soon  as  the  teams  had  started  with  their  loads  I 
asked  the  boys  to  help  me  with  my  calf.  I  told  them  to 
all  get  behind  him  and  give  him  a  scare,  and  he  would 
go  to  camp  in  a  lively  gallop,  for  I  wanted  to  show  the 
women  and  children  how  a  wild  Buffalo  looked  when 
alive. 

When  we  reached  the  corral  Jim  Bridger  was  the  first 
to  meet  us.  The  calf  had  got  pretty  wild  by  this  time, 
no  one  could  get  near  him.  Jim  said,  he  had  been  see- 
ing Buffalo  for  the  last  twenty  five  years,  and  this  one 
was  the  first  he  had  ever  seen  led  into  camp,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  all  the  women  and  children  and  the  majority 
of  the  men  were  gathered  in  a  bunch  looking  at  my  calf 
and  laughing  at  his  antics,  for  he  did  not  subm  it  to  cap- 
tivity very  gracefully.  After  watching  him  a  while  Jim 
said,  **What  are  you  going  to  do  with  him  Willi*" 

I  answered,  I  did  intend  to  eat  him,  but  I  thought  now  I 
had  better  turn  him  loose. 

Jim  said,  **That  won't  do.  Will,  for  he  would  kill  some 
one  before  he  cleared  himself  of  the  crowd,  tie  him  up 
to  a  tree,  and  we  can  kill  him  and  take  the  meat  with  us 
when  we  leave  here." 


1 50  THEY   SMELL    THE  BLOOD    FOR    MILES. 

I  tied  him  up  as  Jim  thought  best,  although  I  pitied 
the  little  fellow  and  had  rather  have  let  him  loose  and 
seen  him  scamper  away  over  the  hills  to  join  his  friends 
in  freedom. 

The  men  set  to  work  skinning  and  getting  the  meat 
ready  to  cook  for  supper.  We  now  had  fresh  meat 
enough  to  last  the  entire  outfit   nearly  a  week. 

After  we  had  finished  supper  Jim  told  the  women  to 
get  ready  to  dance,  **for,"  he  said,  **we  will  have  more 
music  tonight  then  we  have  had  for  a  long  time." 

One  of  the  old  ladies  asked  him,  how  he  could  tell 
when  the  wolves  would  howl  more  one  night  then  anoth- 
er, and  she  said,  ''every  time  that  you  have  said  they 
would  howl,  they  have  made  such  a  noise  that  none  of 
us  could  sleep."  Jim  answered,  **thiswill  be  the  worst 
night  for  them  to  howl,  you  have  ever  heard,  and  I  will 
tell  you  why.  You  see  all  those  Buffaloes  have  been 
dressed  here  at  the  camp,  and  the  Coyotes  will  smell  the 
blood  for  miles  away  from  here  and  they  will  follow  the 
scent  until  they  get  to  us,  and  as  they  cannot  get  to  the 
meat  they  will  vent  their  disappointment  in  howling.  So 
you  see  why  I  say,  the  ladies  will  have  a  plenty  of  music 
to  dance  to."  And  sure  enough  as  soon  as  it  commenced 
growing  dark  the  din  commenced,  and  there  was  no  sleep 
for  any  one  in  that  camp  until  nearly  daylight  the  next 
morning.  A  number  of  times  that  night  I  went  out  per- 
haps fifty  yards  from  the  wagons  and  saw  them  running 
in  every  direction.     I  could  have  silenced  them  by  firing 


THE   SCOUTS    BUSHED    INTO   CAMP.  151 

once  among  them,  but  this  I  did  not  dare  to  do,  for  I  did 
not  know  how  many  Indians  might  be  in  hearing  of  the 
report  of  my  gun,  and  I  thought  it  the  better  policy  to 
hear  the  howling  of  the  wolves  than  to  have  a  fight  with 
the  Indians. 

The  next  morning  I  called  the  scouts  together  and  divi- 
ded them  into  four  squads,  and  we  started  out  to  examine 
the  country  in  all  four  directions  for  Indians  or  the  signs 
of  them,  our  calculation  being  to  investigate  the  country 
for  five  miles,  in  every  direction. 

I  told  the  men  that  if  we  saw  no  Indians  or  the  signs 
of  them  that  day  that  we  would  have  a  chance  to  sleep 
that  night  for  I  would  fire  a  few  shots  among  the  Coyotes, 
and  stop  their  music,  for  that  time  at  least.  I  and  the 
men  that  went  with  me  took  a  direct  western  course. 
After  traveling  perhaps  five  miles  we  struck  a  fresh  Ind- 
ian trail;  the  Indians  had  passed  along  there  the  evening 
before  going  in  a  southern  direction.  We  followed  it 
some  distance  and  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  there 
were  four  or  five  hundred  Indians  in  the  band,  and  I  knew 
by  the  fiirection  they  were  traveling  that  they  would  have 
to  go  fff teen  or  twenty  miles  before  they  could  find  water, 
so  I  knew  we  were  perfectly  safe  from  this  band.  So 
after  explaining  this  to  my  companions  I  said,  **Let  us 
go  back  to  camp." 

On  our  arrival  there  we  found  that  all  the  scouts  had 
got  into  camp  except  the  squad  that  went  east,  and  in  a 
few  minutes,  they  came  riding  in  as  fast  as  their  horses 


152  ONE   NEVER  KNOWS   WHA.T  IS   NEEDED. 

could  bring  them  shouting  at  the  top  of  their  voices,  '*The 
Indians  are  after  us." 

Jim  ordered  the  stock  all  corralled  at  once,  and  the 
men  were  not  long  in  obeying  orders.  While  these  were 
attending  to  the  stock,  Jim  was  placing  the  other  men  in 
a  position  to  protect  the  train,  and  as  good  luck  or  rather 
Jim's  forethought  had  it  he  had  stuck  the  scalps,  we 
had  used  for  the  same  purpose  before  on  the  wagons  the 
night  before,  saying  as  he  did  it,  *'We  don't  ever  know 
when  they  will  be  needed." 

I  with  all  my  scout  force  rode  out  to  meet  the  coming 
Indians.  About  two  hundred  yards  from  the  corral  there 
was  a  little  hill,  which  the  Indians  would  have  to  climb, 
before  they  came  in  view  of  our  camp.  I  told  the  men, 
that  we  would  meet  them  at  the  top  of  the  hill  and  give 
them  as  warm  a  welcome  as  we  could,  and  then  we  would 
get  back  to  the  train  as  quickly  as  possible,  and  I  then  told 
them  to  shoot  with  their  rifles  first,  and  then  to  pull 
their  pistols  and  to  let  the  savages  have  all  there  was 
in  them,  and  then  wheel  their  horses  and  make  for 
camp. 

We  heard  them  coming  before  we  reached  the  top  of 
the  hill.  When  we  got  on  the  crest,  they  were  not  more 
then  thirty  or  forty  yards  from  us.  Every  one  of  my 
men  fired  together  and  I  saw  a  number  of  Indians  fall 
from  their  horses  and  after  we  emptied  our  pistols  among 
them  we  wheeled  our  horses  and  sped  back  to  camp. 

The  Indians  just  rounded  the  top  of  the  hill  where  they 


ANOTHER   EASY   VICTORY.  153 

could  barely  see  the  train,  and  then  they  stopped.  See- 
ing the  wagons  vith  the  scalps  on  them  and  all  in  seem- 
ing waiting  for  them  seemed  to  take  them  by  surprise. 
Bridget  was  making  arrangements  to  make  an  attack  on 
them,  when  they  all  gave  the  war  whoop  and  wheeled 
their  horses,  and  went  back  the  way  they  had  come. 

My  self  and  scouts  went  to  the  top  of  the  hill  to  see  if 
the  Indians  were  still  in  the  neighborhood  but  finding  no 
signs  of  them  we  went  back  to  camp.  When  I  told  Jim 
that  there  were  no  Indians  in  sight  he  sprang  up  and 
laughed  as  loud  as  he  could  and  clapped  his  hands  to- 
gether and  said,  ** Another  battle  won  by  Will's  Indian 
scalps,  did'nt  I  tell  you  all  that  them  scalps  was  worth 
more  to  us  then  all  the  soldiers  we  could  get  around  us? 
They  have  won  two  good  strong  battles  for  us,  and  we 
will  not  have  any  more  trouble  here.  Them  scalps  is 
worth  a  hundred  dollars  a  piece  to  this  train. " 

My  men  and  I  now  went  back  over  the  hill  to  see  how 
many  Indians  we  had  shot  in  our  first  meeting  them,  and 
strange  to  say  we  did  not  find  a  dead  Indian,  but  there 
was  plenty  of  blood  all  around  where  they  were  when 
we  fired  on  them.  I  knew  by  the  blood  that  we  had  kill- 
ed some  of  them,  but  their  comrads  had  taken  their  bod- 
ies on  their  horses  and  carried  them  with  them  which 
the  Indian  always  does  if  he  can. 

When  w«  returned  to  camp  the  excite^ment  was  all 
over,  and  every  one  was  as  cheerful  as  if  nothing  had 
happened  to  disturb  them.     Jim  and   I  were  talking  to- 


154  THE   DINNER   WAS   FIT    FOR   A   KING. 

gether  a  short  time  after  I  got  back  when  two  young 
girls  came  to  us  and  said  their  mother  wanted  us  to  eat 
dinner  with  them,  for  they  were  going  to  have  pie  for 
dinner.  Jim  said,  **Is  it  calf  pie?  I  do  love  calf  pie  above 
all  things/' 

The  girls  laughed  and  said,  *'No,  it  is  apple  pie."  Jim 
said,  "All  right  I  like  apple  pie  too." 

When  we  sat  down  to  dinner  which  the  reader  will  un- 
derstand was  not  spread  on  a  table,  but  was  spread  on 
the  ground  I  was  surprised  to  see  what  was  before  us  to 
eat.  I  have  paid  a  dollar  many  times  since  then  for  a 
meal  that  would  not  compare  in  any  way  with  this  dinner 
that  was  cooked  out  in  the  wilds  with  no  conveniences 
that  women  are  supposed  to  require. 

There  was  a  stew  made  of  the  Buffalo  calf,  a  roast  of 
the  same  kind  of  meat,  corn  bread,  fried  wild  onions, 
apple  pie  and  as  good  a  cup  of  coffee  as  I  ever  drank. 

After  we  had  finished  eating,  Jim  said  to  the  lady, 
"Are  you  going  to  run  a  boarding  house  when  you  get  to 
California.^" 

She  answered,  **I  don't  know  what  I  shall  do  when  we 
get  there,  why  do  you  ask.^" 

Jim  answered,  "I  wanted  to  know  because  if  you  are, 
every  time  I  come  to  California,  I  am  coming  to  board 
with  you." 

Her  husband  then  said,  "It  don't  make  any  difference 
whether  we  keep  a  boarding  house  or  not,  any  time  you 
or  Mr.  Drannan,   come  near  our  place  we  shall  expect 


APP^SCUTION.  15s 

you  to  come  to  us.  You  both  will  be  perfectly  welcome 
to  a  seat  at  our  table  at  any  and  all  times.  After  what 
I  have  seen  to  day  I  am  more  fully  convinced  that  every 
one  in  this  train  owes  their  lives  to  you  two  men.  What 
would  have  become  of  the  whole  of  us  this  morning  if  you 
two  men  had  not  been  here  to  guard  us.^  I  will  tell 
you  what  would  have  happened.  Our  stock  and  all  we 
possessed  would  have  been  in  the  hands  of  the  Indians, 
and  our  scalps  would  be  hanging  at  their  girdles  at  this 
time,  and  I  want  to  say  now,  that  the  people  that  com- 
pose this  train  can  never  pay  you  for  what  you  have  done 
for  us  on  this  dangerous  journey." 

Jim  answered,  *  'When  we  undertook  to  pilot  this  train 
across  to  California,  we  knew  what  we  would  be  likely 
to  meet  with  and  that  the  undertaking  was  no  child's, 
play.  We  both  understood  the  nature  of  the  Indians 
thoroughly,  and  if  all  you  people  stick  together,  and  obey 
our  orders  we  will  take  you  through  in  safety." 

The  man  answered,  **Mr.  Bridger  you  need  not  have 
one  uneasy  thought  about  any  one  wanting  to  leave  your 
protection  on  this  trip,  for  every  one  in  this  comyany 
understands  that  their  lives  are  in  the  hands  of  you  two 
men." 

By  this  time  there  was  quite  a  crowd  around  us  and 
Jim  said,  **  We  both  appreciate  the  good  opinion  you 
have  expressed,  but  after  all  we  have  only  done  our  duty 
by  you  as  we  always  do,  or  at  least  we  try  to  do  to  every 
one  who  intrust  themselves  and  their  property  in  our  care. 


156  AN    UNDISTURBED    NIGHT. 

And  now,  to  change  the  subject,  Will  says,  he  is  going 
to  stop  the  wolves  howling  tonight,  so  you  people  can  get 
some  sleep." 

When  it  had  grown  dark  I  took  a  few  of  the  scouts 
with  me  out  on  the  edge  of  camp  perhaps  a  hundred 
yards  from  the  corral,  and  when  the  Coyotes  began  their 
howling,  we  began  firing,  and  in  a  few  minutes  there  was 
not  a  sound  to  be  heard.  We  were  satisfied  that  we 
would  not  be  disturbed  that  night  by  the  savages  or 
the  Coyotes,  so  we  all  turned  in,  and  we  had  a  good  night's 
rest. 

The  next  morning  we  were  up  and  had  an  early  break- 
fast, and  I  had  not  seen  the  emigrants  in  such  a  cheer- 
ful mood  as  they  all  were  this  morning,  since  we  left 
Fort  Kerney.     Every  one  was  cracking  jokes. 

As  my  scouts  and  I  were  about  to  leave  the  train  to 
take  our  usual  position  as  guards,  one  of  the  young  girls 
came  to  me  and  said,  *'Mr.  Drannan  I  knew  you  were  a 
good  Indian  fighter,  but  I  did  not  know  the  Coyotes  were 
so  afraid  of  you.  Did  you  hang  up  some  of  their  scalps, 
so  that  they  could  see  them  and  know  they  would  share 
the  same  fate  as  their  comrades  if  they  did  not  keep 
away.^" 

I  told  her  that  the  report  of  our  guns  told  the  Coyotes 
what  to  expect  if  they  came  where  the  bullets  would  bit 
them.  **But  if  my  shooting  interferes  with  your  dancing 
I  will  be  careful  and  not  do  any  thing  to  spoil  the 
music. " 


MORE  TROUBLE  AHEAD.  I  57 

She  laughed  and  said,  * 'Never  you  mind  Mr.  Drannan, 
we  are  going  to  give  you  a  dance  before  many  nights." 

I  answered,  that  I  only  knew  how  to  dance  one 
kind  of  a  dance  and  that  was  the  scalp  dance. 

She  said,  she  had  never  seen  a  scalp  dance,  and  said, 
-  'What  is  it  like?" 

Jim  Bridger  said,  *  'When  we  have  the  next  fight  with 
the  Indians,  Will,  and  I  will  show  you  how  it  is  done, 
that  is  providing  the  Indians  don't  get  our  scalps,  and  if 
they  do  they  will  show  you." 

Jim  said  to  me,  '*I  don't  think  we  will  have  any  more 
trouble  with  the  Indians,  until  we  get  to  the  sink  of  the 
Humboldt;  it  is  about  a  hundred  miles  from  here, there  is 
quite  a  strip  of  country  through  here  that  I  am  afraid  we 
will  have  a  great  deal  of  trouble  in,  for  at  this  time  of  the 
year  all  the  game  that  Is  in  the  country  seems  to  gather 
there  and  as  the  Indians  always  follow  the  game  I  am 
afraid  there  will  be  plenty  of  them  too.  But  we  could 
not  have  a  better  scare  crow  than  the  scalps  we  have 
scared  the  last  two  bands  away  with,  and  I  think  if  we 
are  always  successful  in  getting  the  train  corralled  be- 
fore  they  come  on  us  we  will  get  through  in  safety." 

I  answered,  *'Jim,  if  it  is  possible  for  me  to  prevent  it, 
you  will  never  be  surprised,  for  I  and  my  men  will  keep 
a  sharp  look  out  for  any  signs  of  Indians  at  all  times, 
and  if  there  is  any  danger,  you  will  know  it  as  soon  as  we 
can  get  the  news  to  you,  for  all  the  men  under  my  con- 
trol seem  to  be  the  right  stuff,  and  they  want  to  do  what 


158  READY  FOR  THE  ATTACK. 

is  right  and  for  the  best  interest  of  all  the  train.*' 

Jim  answered,  *  *I  know  I  can  trust  you,  Will,  to  do  all 
in  your  power  to  get  this  train  through  in  safety.  I  have 
every  confidence  in  you.  If  I  had  p.ot  had  I  should  not 
have  undertaken  such  a  dangerous  business  as  we  are 
engaged  in.  But  it  stands  us  both  in  hand  to  be  always 
on  the  look  out  for  danger,  for  we  can  never  tell  when 
the  red  friends  may  pounce  on  us,  when  we  are  any  where 
near  them." 

Monday  morning  we  were  up  and  ready  to  take  to  the 
road  early,  feeling  in  good  spirits  after  our  rest  over  Sun- 
day. I  asked  Jim,  if  we  could  make  Sand  Creek  by  night. 
He  answered,  **Yes,  we  have  got  to.  if  we  are  to  reach  the 
sink  of  the  Humboldt  tomorrow." 

We  broke  camp  and  pulled  out.  Every  thing  worked 
smoothly  until  we  had  nearly  reached  Sand  Creek  where 
we  were  to  camp  that  night,  when  the  two  scouts  that 
guarded  the  north  side  of  the  train  discovered  a  large 
band  of  Indians,  coming  in  our  direction.  They  report- 
ed their  discovery  to  me  at  once.  I  put  spurs  to  my 
horse  and  rode  out  where  I  could  see  the  Indians  myself. 
After  I  had  gone  about  two  miles  or  so  I  came  in  sight  of 
them,  and  I  saw  that  the  men  were  right.  The  Indians 
were  making  directly  to  the  spot  where  I  thought  the 
train  was,  and  I  realized  that  there  was  no  time  to  lose 
in  getting  word  to  Jim. 

As  soon  as  I  got  near  the  road  I  signaled  all  the  scouts 
to  come  to  me,  and   in  a  few  minutes,    they  were  with 


* 'let's  give  them  a  salute."  159 

me.  I  sent  them  all  to  the  train  to  help  Jim  except  two 
which  I  kept  with  me.  We  three  rode  out  to  the  spot 
where  we  could  see  the  Indians.  When  we  got  in  sight 
of  them  they  were  within  a  mile  of  the  train,  and  I  knew 
that  the  time  for  action  had  come  and  wheeling  our 
horses  we  made  for  camp  at  a  pace  that  would  surprise 
the  readers  of  to  day.  I  told  Jim  that  the  Indians  were 
upon  us  but  there  was  no  need  to  tell  him  this,  as  he  had 
seen  us  coming  and  suspected  the  news  we  were  bringing, 
and  had  ordered  the  train  corralled  before  we  reached 
camp,  and  I  do  not  think  a  train  was  ever  got  into  shape 
to  resist  the  savages  quicker  or  with  less  excitement  than 
that  train  was  that  day.  And  we  were  none  too  quick 
for  the  Indians  were  in  sight  of  us  as  soon  as  we  were 
ready  for  them.  At  this  spot  our  trail  led  down  a  little 
valley  consequently  when  the  Indians  hove  in  sight  they 
were  not  more  than  a  hundred  yards  from  the  corral. 

I  sang  out,  **What  do  you  say  Jim.^  Let's  form  in  line 
and  give  them  a  salute. " 

Jim  shouted,  **Every  man  form  in  a  line  and  shoot, 
and  be  sure  you  hit  your  mark." 

By  this  time  there  were  as  many  as  two  hundred  Ind- 
ians in  sight  and  every  gun  seemed  to  go  off  at  once.  At 
that  moment  Jim  cried,  **Every  man  pull  your  pistol 
and  shoot  as  loud  as  you  can,  and  let  us  make  a  dash  on 
them. "  And  every  man  in  the  train  did  as  Jim  told  them 
to,  and  it  surely  had  a  good  effect  on  the  savages,  for 
they  wheeled  and  fled  as  fast  as   their   legs  could  carry 


l6o  I    FOLLOWED    THE    INDIANS    ALONE. 

theni  in  the  direction  th^y  had  come.  We  found  twenty 
seven  dead  Indians  all  laying  close  together,  and  it  did 
not  take  us  long  to  take  their  scalps  off.  When  we  had 
finished  this  job  Jim  made  the  remark  that  he  had  scalps 
enough  now  to  protect  the  train  all  the  way  to  Califor- 
nia. 

As  it  was  yet  about  three  miles  to  our  camping  ground 
I  told  my  scouts  what  to  do,  and  then  I  told  Jim  that  I 
meant  to  follow  the  Indians  alone  and  see  where  they 
went  to  and  not  to  expect  me  back  until  he  saw  me,  for 
I  intended  to  see  those  Indians  go  into  camp  before  Heft 
them,  if  it  took  me  until  midnight  to  do  it,  for  if  I  did 
this  I  could  tell  whether  they  meant  to  give  us  any  more 
trouble  or  not. 

Jim  told  me  where  to  look  for  the  camp  when  I  want- 
ed to  find  it,  and  I  left  them,  on  a  mission  the  danger  of 
which  I  do  not  think  one  of  my  readers  can  understand, 
but  which  at  that  time  I  thought  very  little  about. 

I  had  followed  the  trail  of  the  Indians  but  a  short  dis- 
tance before  I  was  convinced  that  there  were  a  great 
many  wounded  in  the  band,  for  there  was  so  much  blood 
scattered  all  along  the  trail.  I  followed  the  trail  about 
five  miles  when  I  came  to  a  high  ridge,  and  on  looking 
down  on  the  other  side  I  saw  what  looked  to  me  like  two 
or  three  hundred  camp  fires,  and  from  the  noise  I  heard 
I  thought  that  many  that  I  had  thought  to  be  wounded 
must  be  dead,  for  it  was  the  same  sound  that  I  had  often 
heard  the  squaws  make  over  their  dead.      I    decided  by 


THE  SQUAWS  TOOK  AWAY  THEIR  DEAD.      l6l 

the  appearance  of  the  camp  that  I  had  discovered  the 
main  camping  ground  of  the  Indians.  On  deciding  this 
in  my  mind  I  hurried  back  as  quickly  as  I  could  to  tell  Jim. 
When  I  reached  camp,  supper  was  just  over.  After  I 
had  looked  after  my  horse  I  went  into  the  camp  and  a 
lady  met  me  and  invited  me  to  her  tent  saying,  she  had 
kept  some  supper  warm  for  me  and  had  been  on  the  look 
out  for  me  to  come  back,  and  the  reader  may  rest  assured 
I  was  hungry  enough  to  accept  the  invitation  and  to  do 
ample  justice  to  the  good  things,  the  kind  lady  had  saved 
for  me. 

While  I  was  eating  Jim  came  to  me  and  asked  what  I 
had  discovered.  I  told  him  of  the  big  Indian  camp  I  had 
found  at  the  foot  of  the  ridge,  which  was  probably  five  or 
six  miles  from  where  we  were  then  in  camp,  and  I  told 
him  of  the  noise  the  squaws  had  made  to  which  he  said, 
**Well  I  will  bet  my  old  hat  that  we  won't  have  any  more 
trouble  with  them  for  when  they  come  back  to  get  their 
dead  warriors  in  the  morning  and  find  them  without  their 
scalps  they  won't  follow  us  any  farther.  '* 

So  feeling  safe  to  do  so  every  one  except  the  guards 
turned  in  for  the  night.  The  night  passed  without  any 
thing  happening  to  disturb  us.  Next  morning  I  got  up 
early  and  mounted  my  horse  and  went  to  the  place  where 
we  had  the  fight  to  see  if  the  dead  Indians  had  been 
taken  away.  I  found  that  they  had  all  been  taken  away 
during  the  night.  I  got  back  to  camp  in  time  for  break- 
fast.    I  told  Jim    that  I  had  been  to  see  about    the  Ind- 


1 62  THE    GIRLS  ASKED    TWO    FAVORS. 

ians  we  had  killed  the  day  before,  but  I  found  no  bodies 
there  and  supposed  the  squaws  had  taken  them  away  in 
the  night. 

Jim  jumped  up  and  clapped  his  hands  together  and 
said,  **Good,  good,  we  will  not  have  any  more  trouble 
with  these  Indians,  and  I  don't  believe  we  will  have  any 
more  fights  with  the  Indians  this  side  of  the  Sierra  Neva- 
da mountains,  for  the  news  of  our  scalping  so  many  of 
the  Indians  will  fly  from  tribe  to  tribe  faster  than  we  can 
travel  and  you  may  be  sure  they  all  will  be  on  the  look- 
out to  avoid  meeting  us." 

Fvery  thing  moved  quietly  for  the  next  three  days^ 
and  we  made  good  progress  on  our  journey. 

The  night  before  we  reached  the  sink  of  the  Humboldt 
while  we  were  at  supper  about  a  dozen  ladies  came  to 
Jim  and  me.  One  of  them  said  with  a  smile,  **Mr. 
Drannan,  we  have  two  favors  to  ask  of  you." 

Jim  looked  up  at  them  and  seeing  that  there  was  mis- 
chief in  their  eyes,  he  said,  **Say,  gals  can't  I  have  one 
of  them?" 

The  lady  that  had  spoken  to  me  said,  **I  am  afraid 
neither  of  them  would  suit  you  Mr.  Bridger. " 

I  then  asked  her  what  I  could  do  for  them.  She  ans- 
wered, that  they  v/ould  like  to  have  some  more  fresh 
meat,  but  that  they  did  not  want  any  more  such  music 
as  had  accompanied  all  that  they  had  had  before,  but  if 
I  could  supply  the  meat  without  the  music  it  would  be  a 
great  favor  as  well  as  a   treat.     I  said,     *  *What    kind  of 


HOW  WILL  COYOTE  MEAT  DO?  1 63 

meat  do  you  prefer  ladies?*'  She  answered,  that  they 
were  not  particular,  any  kind  that  was  good. 

Jim  said,  ''Well,  how  will  Coyote  do  you?  That  kind 
of  meat  will  answer  a  double  purpose,  it  will  satisfy  your 
hunger,  and  then  you  can  howl  the  same  as  they  do.'* 

She  answered,  * 'Now  Mr.  Bridger,  you  know  that 
Coyotes  are  not  fit  to  eat.  Are  they  not  a  species  of  a 
dog.?" 

Jim  replied,  **Yes,  they  are,  and  dog  is  the  Indians' 
favorite  meat,  and  that  is  the  kind  of  meat  you  will 
have  to  eat  when  you  go  to  live  with  them,  so  you  had 
better  learn  to  eat  it  now." 

She  said,  she  was  pretty  sure  that  she  did'nt  want  to 
neighbor  with  the  Indians,  and  she  did'nt  want  any  dog 
meat  either. 

I  told  her  that  I  would  try  and  get  some  kind  of  fresh 
meat  for  them  between  then  and  night. 

'*It  may  be  Elk  or  it  may  be  Buffalo,  or  it  may  be 
Antelope." 

She  said,  *'What  kind  of  an  animal  is  an  Elk?" 

I  told  her  that  an  Elk  was  about  as  large  as  a  cow  and 
equally  as  good  meat,  and  all  the  ladies  said,  *'Well, 
well,  would'nt  we  like  to  have  some." 

I  told  them  that  I  would'nt  promise  for  sure,  but  I 
thought  I  could  get  some  fresh  meat  for  supper  tomorrow 
night. 

The  next  morning  my  scouts  and  I  were  off  early.  I 
told  them  before  we  started  that   we  must  keep  two  ob- 


l64  THE  SIGNAL    OF  THE    SCOUTS. 

jects  in  view  that  day.  One  object  was  to  look  out  for 
Indians,  and  the  other  was  to  look  for  camp. 

'*We  are  in  a  game  country  and  there  is  plenty  of  Elk 
and  Buffalo,  and  the  first  man  that  sees  a  band  of  either 
kind  must  signal  to  the  others,  and  we  will  all  get  together 
and  see  if  we  can  get  enough  to  supply  the  camp  for  a 
day  or  two  at  least. 

We  had  gone  perhaps  five  or  six  miles,  when  I  heard  a 
signal  from  the  south.  I  got  to  it  as  quickly  as  possible, 
and  as  pretty  a  sight  awaited  me,  as  I  ever  saw  in  the 
way  of  game.  Down  in  a  little  valley  just  below  the 
man  that  had  signaled  to  the  rest  of  us  were  about  fifty 
Elk  cows,  feeding  and  there  were  also  a  few  calves  runn- 
ing and  jumping  around  their  mothers.  As  soon  as  all 
the  men  got  there  I  began  to  plan  how  we  could  get  to 
them  and  kill  some  of  them  before  they  saw  us.  They 
were  feeding  towards  the  road,  and  they  were  not  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  it  when  I  first  saw  them. 
A  little  ways  from  us  there  was  a  little  ravine  which  was 
covered  with  brush,  and  it  led  down  to  the  valley  where 
the  Elk  were  feeding.  I  told  the  men  that  we  would 
hitch  our  horses  and  then  crawl  down  the  ravine,  and  I 
thought  we  could  get  a  few  of  them  before  they  could  get 
away  from  us.  All  the  men  were  as  anxious  to  get  the 
game  as  I  was.  I  took  the  lead  and  when  we  got  down 
to  the  valley  the  Elk  were  only  a  short  distance  from  us. 
I  said,  ''Now  wait  until  they  feed  opposite  us,  and  then 
they  will  not  be  over  fifty  yards  from  us,   and  as  I  am  tq 


AN   ELK   HUNT.  165 

the  ri^ht  I  will  take  the  leader  and  each  man  in  rotation 
as  they  come  to  him  in  doing  this  way  we  will  be  sure  to 
each  get  an  Elk  as  not  two  of  us  will  fire  at  the  same 
animal,  and  if  they  are  not  too  far  from  us  after  we  have 
fired  our  rifles  let  us  pull  our  pistols  and  try  to  get  some 
more. 

When  the  Elk  had  got  near  enough  to  us,  I  gave  the 
word  to  fire  and  down  came  twelve  Elk  cows,  and  then  we 
went  for  them  with  our  pistols,  and  we  got  five  calves, 
and  so  we  knew  we  had  plenty  of  meat  to  supply  the 
camp  for  a  day  or  two. 

I  sent  one  of  the  men  back  to  meet  the  train  and  to  tell 
Jim  what  we  had  done  and  told  him  to  send  all  the  help 
he  could,  so  we  could  get  the  meat  to  the  train  as  quickly 
as  possible,  and  the  rest  of  us  commenced  to  skin  the 
animals.  In  a  short  time  there  were  forty  or  fifty  men 
there,  and  it  did  not  take  long  to  finish  the  job,  and  we 
had  the  meat  on  the  way  to  the  wagons.  About  the  time 
we  had  got  the  meat  all  dressed,  several  ladies  came  with 
sacks  in  their  hands.  I  asked  them  what  part  of  the 
animal  they  wanted,  they  said,  they  wanted  the  livers 
and  the  hearts.  This  was  a  new  idea  to  me.  I  asked 
them  what  they  were  going  to  do  with  them.  One  of  the 
women  said,  **We  want  you  and  Mr.  Bridgerto  take  sup- 
per with  us  tonight,  and  we  will  show  you  what  we  have 
done  with  them  then." 

In  a  short  time  we  had  the  meat  to  the  train  and  each 
family   had    their    share.     Jim  said,  he  did  not   think 


1 66  JIM    AND    I   TOOK    A    WALK. 

he  had  lost  over  twenty  five  minutes  time  in  waiting 
for  that  meat. 

The  train  proceeded  on  now  without  any  more  stops 
towards  the  place  where  we  were  to  camp  that  night  at 
the  sink  of  the  Humboldt.  We  reached  the  camping 
ground  quite  a  little  while  before  sundown  and  we  cert- 
ainly had  selected  an  ideal  place  to  camp.  A  beautiful 
pearling  stream  of  water,  plenty  of  wood  and  any  amount 
of  grass  met  our  eyes  as  we  came  to  the  place  to  stop. 
In  a  few  minutes  we  had  the  stock  out  to  grass  and  the 
women  were  busy  cooking  supper.  Jim  and  I  took  a 
walk  down  towards  the  Sink,  and  as  we  were  coming  back, 
we  had  got  near  the  wagons,  when  a  couple  of  girls  came 
to  meet  us,  and  said,  *'We  want  you  two  to  come  and  eat 
supper  with  us.  Our  two  families  got  supper  together 
tonight.*'  Jim  said,  *'Have  you  got  something  good  to 
eat.?" 

One  said,  '*You  may  just  bet  we  have;  we  have  got  Elk 
roasted  and  fried  Elk  calf  and  fried  liver.  Is'nt  that  some- 
thing good.?" 

Jim  said,  it  sounded  good  and  we  would  go  and  see 
for  ourselves. 

When  we  got  to  the  tent  Jim  said,  ''These  girls  told  us 
that  you  had  invited  us  to  eat  supper  with  you;  that  you 
had  some  stewed  dog  and  as  that  is  our  favorite  dish,  we 
thought  we  would  accept  the  invitation." 

One  of  the  girls  cried,  *'0h  Mr,  Bridger,  we  did'nt  tell 
you  any  such  thing." 


FRIED    ELK  LIVER  WAS    A   NEW  DISH.  1 67 

Jim  answered,  *'Oh,  excuse  me,  girls,  I  thought  you 
were  going  to  have  something  good  for  supper,  so  of  course 
all  I  could  think  of  was  dog." 

We  had  a  fine  supper  and  as  fried  liver  was  a  new  dish 
to  Jim  and  me  we  ate  heartily  of  that,  and  we  thought  it 
was  beyond  the  ordinary.  It  seems  to  me  now  in  think- 
ing of  those  days,  that  people  had  better  appetites  then 
for  hearty  food  than  they  have  now;  at  least  it  is  so  in 
my  case.  The  reason  may  be  that  we  lived  in  the  open 
air  both  day  and  night,  and  the  air  of  that  western  climate 
was  so  pure  and  clear  and  free  from  all  the  different 
scents  that  inpregnate  it  now.  The  amount  of  food  that 
each  person  ate  at  that  time  would  surprise  the  people  of 
today. 

After  supper  Jim  told  the  girls  that  they  would  not 
get  any  music  to  dance  to  tonight,  so  they  had  just  as 
well  turn  in  and  have  a  good  night*s  sleep. 


CHAPTER  V 


The  next  morning  we  had  an  early  breakfast  and  were 
on  our  journey  in  good  season.  Nothing  of  interest  oc- 
cured  to  us  until  we  reached  where  the  city  of  Reno  now 
stands  which  is  in  the  western  part  of  what  is  now  the 
state  of  Nevada. 

We  were  about  to  go  into  camp  on  the  bank  of  the 
Truckee  river  when  I  looked  off  to  the  north  and  saw  a 
band  of  Indians,  and  they  were  heading  directly  for  the 
train. 

They  were  probably  a  mile  away  from  us  when  I  saw 
them.  I  reported  to  Jim  at  once,  and  he  was  not  long  in 
corralling  the  train,  and  he  made  the  largest  display  of 
scalps  that  I  had  ever  seen  then  or  ever  have  since.  It 
looked  as  if  every  wagon  had  a  scalp  hanging  on  it. 

Apparently  the  Indians  did  not  notice  the  decorations 
on  the  wagons  until  they  were  within  three  or  four  hun- 
dred yards  of  them,  and   the  sight  seemed  to  take  them 

(i68) 


Fishing  with  the  gir's. — Page  174. 


A   SUNDAY    IN    WILDERNESS.  I7I 

by  surprise. 

All  at  once  the  whole  band  stopped  and  of  all  the  ac- 
tions ever  an  Indian  performed  that  band  did  it.  Jim 
<^aid,  '  *Will,  do  you  think  you  can  reach  them  with  your 
rifle.?" 

I  answered,  that  I  thought  not  at  that  distance,  but  I 
said,  **My  men  and  I  will  get  nearer  to  them  and  give 
them  a  scare  any  way." 

I  called  my  scouts  to  follow  me  out  to  a  little  bunch  of 
timber,  and  we  all  fired  at  them  at  onoe.  Whether  we 
hit  any  Indians  or  not  I  never  knew,  for  they  wheeled 
their  horses  and  fled  and  if  any  of  them  were  killed  or 
wounded  the  others  did  not  leave  them,  and  we  saw  no 
more  of  that  band,  but  they  left  three  horses  laying  on 
the  ground,  which  showed  us  that  our  bullets  had  done  a 
little  execution. 

We  now  settled  into  camp  for  the  night.  Jim  told  the 
emigrants,  as  it  was  Saturday  evening  we  would  lay  over 
here  until  Monday  morning,  and  he  told  them  that  all 
who  liked  to  have  a  good  time  fishing  could  enjoy  them- 
selves to  their  hearts*  content,  for  this  stream  was  full  of 
Mountain  Trout,  and  he  added,  **They  are  beauties." 

Both  men  and  women  asked,  what  kind  of  bait  to  usv^ 
to  catch  them,  we  told  them  that  grass  hoppers  or  crick- 
ets was  good  bait  for  Mountain  Trout  and  both  of  these 
insects  were  numerous  around  the  camp. 

It  was  very  amusing  to  me  to  see  the  girls  run  to  their 
mothers   to  ask,     if  they  could   go  fishing   the  next  day. 


172        A  SOUND  SLEEP  ON  A  BED  OF  MOSS. 

They  were  as  excited  as  if  they  were  asking  to  go  to 
some  great  entertainment. 

It  being  Sunday  morning  and  as  there  was  no  danger 
from  the  Indians  I  did  not  get  up  very  early.  Jim  and  I 
occupied  the  same  tent  together  which  was  the  blue  sky 
above  us,  and  the  ground  beneath  us,  a  bed  that  I  have 
no  doubt  the  reader  will  think  a  not  very  desirable  one, 
but,  rolled  in  our  blankets,  a  bed  on  the  soft  moss  with 
the  trees  waving  over  us  was  as  good  a  bed  as  Jim  and 
I  cared  to  have,  and  our  sleep  was  as  sound  and  restful 
as  if  we  were  laying  on  a  bed  of  down. 

When  Jim  arose  in  the  morning  he  gave  me  a  shake, 
and  said,  "Wake  up  Will,  we  are  going  to  have  fish,  for 
every  one  in  the  camp  is  hunting  grass  hoppers,"  and  it 
was  really  an  amusing  sight  to  see,  for  every  one  as  Jim 
had  said  was  running,  trying  to  catch  grass  hoppers, 
both  men  and  women  were  racing  about  like  chil- 
dren. 

Jim  and  I  started  to  go  to  the  river,  to  take  a  wash, 
when  a  little  girl  came  running  to  ns  saying,  **Papa 
wants  you  to  come  and  eat  breakfast  with  us,  for  we 
have  got  fish  for  breakfast.'* 

Jim  said,  *'A11  right  sissy,  but  I  am  afraid  you  hav'nt 
got  enough  fish  to  go  around,'* 

She  said,  **Ohyes,  we  have,  for  papa  caught  fifteen 
this  morning  and  they  are  all  great  big  ones. " 

So  we  did  not  go  to  the  river  but  went  with  the  little 
girl  to  her  father's  tent  and  washed  there  and  sure  enough 


MOUNTAIN   TROUT   FOR   BREAKFAST.  17.^ 

there   was  enough  fish  for  all  the  family  and  Jim  and  me 
and  some  left  over. 

The  man  laughed  and  said  to  Jim,  **Mr.  Bridger,  you 
made  the  right  remark  when  you  said  that  the  river  was 
full  of  fish.  I  have  been  fishing  all  my  life,  and  I  never 
saw  so  many  fish  at  one  time  as  I  saw  this  morning.  I 
went  down  to  the  river  about  day  light,  and  I  caught 
fifteen  fish  and  I  don't  think  I  was  over  fifteen  minutes 
in  catching  them,  and  I  believe  they  will  average  two 
pounds  to  a  fish,  and  they  are  as  luscious  as  I  ever  tasted 
in  the  way  offish." 

I  asked  him,  if  this  was  his  first  experience  in  eating 
Mountain  Trout.  He  said,  it  was,  but  he  hoped  it  would 
not  be  his  last,  and  said.  ''Can  you  tell  me  why  they 
have  such  an  extra  flavori^"  I  said,  ''Certainly,  I  can, 
there  is  no  stream  in  the  world  that  has  purer  water  than 
the  Truckee  river,  and  do  you  see  that  snow  capped 
mountain  yonder.'*'*  and  I  pointed  to  a  mountain  at  the 
south  west  of  us  which  was  always  covered  with  snow  at 
the  top,  "This  stream  is  surounded  with  mountains  like 
that,  and  the  water  is  cold  the  year  around,  no  matter 
how  hot  the  weather  may  be,  and  that  is  the  secret  of  the 
fine  flavor  of  the  fish  caught  in  it." 

And  here  I  must  say  that,  although  I  had  eaten  Moun- 
tain Trout  many  times  before  that  morning,  I  never  en- 
joyed a  meal  more  than  I  did  this  one.  As  I  finished, 
eating,  six  young  girls  came  to  the  tent  and  asked  me  if  I 
was  going  fishing,  I  said,  I  had  thought  of  going.     They 


174  GOING   FISHING   WITH   THE   GIRLS. 

asked  if  they  could  go  with  me,  I  said,  *  'Certainly,  you 
can  if  you  wish  to,  but  I  shall  have  to  go  out  and  hunt 
some  bait  before  I  can  go." 

One  of  them  said,  **  We  have  enough  grass  hoppers  to 
last  us  all  day,  and  we  will  share  them  with  you  for 
bait." 

I  answered,  *'Well,  we  will  go  up  the  river  a  little 
ways  to  those  rocks  yonder,"  and  I  pointed  up  the 
stream. 

When  we  got  opposite  the  rocks  which  were  in  the 
middle  of  the  stream  I  helped  each  of  the  girls  to  a  place 
by  herself  and  then  took  a  place  on  a  rock  myself,  but 
I  could  not  do  any  thing  for  laughing  at  the  girls.  I  told 
them  they  would  scare  all  the  fish  out  of  the  river.  In 
a  moment  one  of  the  girls  caught  a  fish  on  her  hook,  but 
he  struggled  so  hard  that  she  could  not  pull  him  out  of 
the  water,  and  she  cried  for  me  to  come  and  help  her  to 
land  him.  I  got  to  her  as  quickly  as  I  could  and  took  the 
fish  out  of  the  water,  and  it  was  the  largest  trout  I  had 
ever  seen,  and  I  did  not  wonder  the  girl  could  not  land 
him,  for  he  made  a  brave  fight  for  liberty,  and  it  was  all 
I  could  do  to  capture  him. 

By  this  time  it  was  a  sight  to  look  up  and  down  the 
stream  and  see  the  people  that  were  fishing.  Men,  wom- 
en and  children,  old  and  young,  seeming  to  be  perfectly 
happy  and  to  he  having  the  time  of  their  lives. 

In  about  an  hour  they  began  to  realize  that  more  fish 
were  being  caught  than  they  could  take  care  of.  so  every 


NEAR  THE  END  OF  THE  JOURNEY        1/5 

one  leathered  their  catch  and  went  back  to  camp.  Some 
of  the  emigrants  estimated  that  three  thousand  fish  had 
been  caught  that  day  by  the  entire  crowd.  I  think  the 
most  of  the  people  had  fish  until  they  were  tired  of  it. 
For  the  next  two  days  we  had  fish  for  every  meal  served 
in  every  way  that  fish  could  be  cooked. 

Monday  morning  we  pulled  out  from  this  camp  bright 
and  early,  for  Honey  Lake.  We  made  the  trip  in  two 
days,  which  was,  as  we  considered  very  good  time,  and 
we  did  not  see  an  Indian  on  the  way  or  a  fresh  sign  of 
them. 

When  we  reached  Honey  Lake  and  saw  that  there 
were  no  signs  of  Indians  there  Jim  said  to  me,  that 
there  would  be  no  more  trouble  with  the  Indians,  and  if 
we  could  convince  the  emigrants  of  this  fact  we  need  not 
go  further  with  them. 

I  told  him,  I  did  not  think  it  would  be  best  to  men- 
tion to  the  emigrants  any  change  in  the  contract  we  had 
made  with  them  when  we  started  on  the  trip,  that  we 
had  better  go  on  with  the  train  until  we  crossed  the  Sierra 
Nevada  Mountains,  as  we  had  engaged  to  do. 

Jim  thought  it  over  a  few  minutes,  and  then  he  said, 
*'I  guess  you  are  right  Will,  for  they  might  think  we 
wanted  to  shirk  our  duty  in  leaving  them  here,  although, 
I  am  sure  there  will  be  no  more  danger  to  guard  them 
from.'^ 

Everything  moved  on  without  any  thing  to  interfere 
with  our  progress  for  the  next  four  days  and  by  that  time 


ijr6  *'ALL   DANGER    IS    PAST." 

we  had    crossed    the  top  of  the    Sierra    Nevada    Moun- 
tains. 

After  we  had  eaten  our  supper  the  night  after  crossing 
on  the  other  side  of  the  mountains  Jim  shouted  that 
he  wanted  to  talk  to  every  body  for  just  a  few  minutes, 
and  in  a  few  minutes,  all  the  people  of  the  train,  men, 
women,  and  children  were  around  us  thick. 

Jim  then  said  to  them,  **I  wanted  to  speak  to  you  to- 
gether to  tell  you  that  all  danger  to  this  train  is  passed, 
there  will  be  no  more  Indians  to  molest  you,  and  you  are 
perfectly  safe  to  continue  on  your  journey  without  (ear  of 
being  troubled  by  them.  Tomorrow  night  we  will  camp 
in  the  Sacramento  Valley  and  being  sure  that  we  can 
leave  you  in  perfect  safety,  our  contract  with  the  people 
of  this  train  will  be  closed,  and  we  will  leave  you  the 
next  morning.  There  is  one  thing  I  am  sorry  for  though, 
and  that  is  we  can't  furnish  any  more  music  for  a  fare- 
well dance  with  the  ladies  before  we  leave  them." 

This  joke  created  a  laugh  all  around  and  brightened 
the  faces  of  the  older  people  for  we  had  shared  in  and 
protected  them  from  too  many  dangers  for  the  thought  of 
separation  from  us  not  to  sadden  the  faces  of  the  older 
members  of  the  train. 

Mr.  Tullock,  one  of  the  committee,  got  upon  a  chair 
and  said,  *'I  want  to  ask  if  there  is  a  person  here  in  this 
company  can  realize  what  these  two  men  have  done  for 
us  in  the  seven  weeks  they  have  been  with  us.  I  for  one 
know  for  a  certainty  that  if   we  had  not    met  them,  and 


PRAISE    AND   GRATITUDE.  1 7/ 

they  had  not  accompanied  us  on  the  dangerous  journey 
we  have  almost  finished,  not  one  of  this  large  company 
would  have  been  alive  today.  I  will  acknowledge  that  I 
have  no  doubt  that  all  the  rest  of  you  thought  them  to 
be  barbarians  when  they  took  the  scalps  ofl  those  first 
Indians'  heads,  but  the  events  that  followed  showed  the-r 
knowledge  of  their  business  and  also  of  our  ignorance  in 
Indian  warfare  for  that  what  we  thought  barbarism  was 
the  means  of  saving  some,  if  not  all  our  lives.  Now  I 
will  tell  you  what  I  propose  doing.  I  am  going  to  write 
a  recommendation  for  each  one  of  these  men,  and  I  want 
every  one  of  you  to  sign  it." 

It  sounded  as  if  every  one  in  the  crowd  said  at  once, 
**rilsignit." 

When  Mr.  Tullock  stepped  down,  Jim  took  his  place 
on  the  chair  and  said  to  the  people,  **I  want  you  all  to 
distinctly  understand  that  Will  Drannan  and  myself  do 
not  think  we  have  done  any  thing  but  our  duty  to  the 
people  of  this  train,  and  I  want  to  thank  all  the  men  that 
have  helped  me  to  protect  the  train  when  the  savages 
were  upon  us.  You  all  showed  that  you  were  brave  men 
and  willing  to  obey  orders,  which,  I  will  tell  you  now,  is 
a  rare  thing  among  so  many  men,  and  Will  tells  me  that 
he  had  the  best  men  as  scouts  to  help  him,  that  he  had 
ever  had,  that  every  one  tried  to  do  his  duty.  So  it 
seems  to  me  that  we  have  all  done  our  best  to  make  the 
journey  a  success.  Now  let  us  get  away  from  here 
early  in  the   morning,  for  I  want  to   reach  our  camping 


178  THE  LAST  SUPPER  TOGETER. 

ground  in  good  season  to  morrow  evening,  we  have  quite 
a  long  drive  before  us  tomorrow  but  as  good  luck  is  on 
our  side  it  is  all  down  hill.'' 

We  got  an  early  start  in  the  morning,  and  we  landed 
at  our  camping  place  about  four  o'clock  in  the  evening, 
and  I  think  there  were  as  many  as  twenty  invited  us  to 
take  supper  with  them  that  night.  The  last  one  was 
from  four  young  girls,  who  came  to  us  together.  One  of 
them  told  Jim,  that  she  wanted  him  and  Mr.  Drannan  to 
come  to  their  tent  right  away,  as  supper  was  waiting. 
Jim  answered,  that  we  did  nt  want  any  supper  but  told 
her  that  if  she  would  invite  us  to  breakfast  next  morning 
and  would  promise  there  would  be  enough  to  eat  to  fill  us 
both  for  three  or  four  days,  we  would  be  glad  to  come 
and  eat." 

She  answered,  *  *  All  right,  Mr.  Bridger  I  will  get  up  be- 
fore day  and  get  to  cooking,  so  I  shall  be  sure  and  have 
enough  for  you  at  least. 

Jim  and  I  now  went  to  the  tent  of  the  people  who  had 
invited  us  first,  as  had  been  our  custom  all  through  the 
journey,  These  were  elderly  people  who  had  one  son 
and  one  daughter;  both  grown,  to  man  and  womanhood. 
While  we  were  at  supper  the  older  woman  asked  how 
much  bread  we  could  carry  with  us.  Jim  said,  we  would 
like  enough  to  last  us  three  or  four  days,  and  he  thought 
three  loaves  like  the  ones  on  the  spread  would  be  enough. 

She  said,  *  *Why,  Mr.  Bridger,  every  body  is  making 
bread,  and  cooking  meat  for  you  to  take  with  you. " 


"GIRLS,    PASS   THAT   CAKE   AROUND.  1/9 

Jim  said,  *'Why,  my  good  woman,  we  can  kill  all  the 
meat  we  want  as  we  need  it  and  three  loaves  of  bread  is 
all  we  can  carry  on  our  horses  with  our  other  stuff. " 

The  first  thing  in  the  morning  the  girls  we  had  promis- 
ed to  eat  breakfast  with  were  after  us  to  come  to  their 
tent,  and  we  found  a  fine  meal  waiting  for  us. 

Jim  said,  *'Now  ladies,  you  know  that  in  going  back, 
Will  and  I  have  to  go  over  a  very  dangerous  road  and 
we  won't  have  time  to  cook  in  the  next  three  or  four 
days,  so  we  calculate  to  eat  enough  to  last  us  till  we  get 
to  the  Sink  of  the  Humboldt,  and  that  will  take  us  three 
or  four  days,  so  in  our  accepting  your  invitation  to  take 
our  last  breakfast  on  this  trip  with  you  we  may  make  you 
twice  glad/' 

The  elder  woman  smiled  and  told  the  girls,  they  had 
better  be  frying  some  more  meat.  Jim  looked  around 
the  spread  and  told  the  girls,  he  guessed  they  had  better 
wait  till  we  had  eaten  what  was  before  us,  before  they 
cooked  more,  and  there  certainly  was  enough  food  before 
us  for  as  many  more  as  sat  around  it,  and  although  it  was 
spread  on  a  cloth  laid  on  the  ground  I  have  never  par- 
taken of  a  breakfast  served  on  the  finest  table,  that  tast- 
ed as  good  as  that  one  did  that  morning. 

We  had  almost  finished  eating  when  the  elder  lady 
said,  ''Girls,  pass  that  cake  around." 

Jim  said,  **Is  there  cake  too.'^  I'm  not  used  to  eating 
cake,  only  on  Sunday  mornings,  and  this  is  Satur- 
day. " 


l8o  ''THAT   won't   do   AT   ALL   WILL!'* 

I  told  the  girls  that  Jim  had'nt  seen  any  cake  since  we 
left  Fort  Kerney,  and  that  if  she  wanted  any  left  for  them 
selves  they  had  better  not  pass  the  plate.  She  answer- 
ed, *  There  is  a  plenty,  and  I  have  a  great,  big  cake  for 
you  to  take  to  eat  on  the  road. " 

Jim  said."  **That  won't  do  at  all,  for  Will  will  want 
to  stay  in  camp  all  the  time  and  eat  cake  until  it  is  all 
gone." 

As  soon  as  breakfast  was  over  we  caught  our  horses 
and  began  packing.  We  each  had  two  saddle  horses,  and 
we  had  one  pack  horse  between  us.  When  we  were  lead- 
ing up  our  horses,  Jim  said,  *'This  is  the  worst  job  of  all 
for  all  these  women  have  a  lot  of  grub  cooked  for  us  to 
take  along,  and  plagued  take  it,  we  have  no  room  on 
the  pack  horses  to  put  it,  what  shall  we  do.?" 

I  said,  **We  will  take  what  we  can  pack,  Jim,  and  we 
can  thank  the  ladies  for  their  kindness,  and  tell  them  we 
are  sorry  we  can't  take  all  they  would  give  us,  and  then 
we  can  mount  and  be  off." 

Jim  said,  **That  sounds  easy." 

When  we  were  packing  sure  enough  every  one  of  the 
elder  women  and  some  of  the  girls  brought  something  for 
us  to  take  with  us  to  eat.  Jim  told  them  that  we  were  a 
thousand  times  obliged  to  them  all,  but  we  could  not  take 
anything  but  a  few  loaves  of  bread,  and  then,  as  was  us- 
ual in  his  joking  way,  he  said,  with  a  glance  at  me  **I 
know.  Will  feels  bad  to  leave  that  cake,  and  he  will 
dream  of  seeing  cakes  for  a  week,  but  I  can't  indulge  him 


Jim  was  overcome  with  emotion.  i8i 

this  time." 

When  Jim  had  done  speaking,  one  of  the  girls,  that 
we  had  taken  breakfast  with  handed  him  a  small  sack, 
and  told  him  not  to  open  it  until  we  camped  that  night. 
At  this  moment  Mr.  Tulock,  came  to  us  and  said,  -'Here, 
my  friends,  is  a  recommendation,  and  I  think  every 
grown  person  in  the  train  has  signed  their  name  to  both 
of  them,  and  all  the  company  have  asked  me  to  say  a  few 
words  for  them.  If  either  or  both  of  you  ever  come  to 
California,  we  want  you  to  find  some  of  us  and  make  your 
home  with  us  as  long  as  you  wish,  for  you  will  always 
find  a  warm  welcome  with  any  of  this  company." 

I  had  been  acquainted  with  Jim  Bridger  several  years 
and  this  was  the  first  time  I  had  ever  seen  him  overcome 
with  feeling.  His  voice  shook  so  he  could  hardly  thank 
the  people  for  their  kind  words  and  when  it  came  to  shak- 
ing hands  and  biding  them  good  bye,  he  almost  lost  his 
speech. 

But  it  was  over  at  last  and  we  mounted  our  horses  and 
left  them.  For  the  first  ten  miles  I  don't  think  Jim  spoke 
ten  words.  Finally  he  said,  *'Well  they  were  a  good 
crowd  of  people,  weren't  they  Will.'^  If  I  ever  go  to  Calif- 
ornia and  can  find  any  of  them,  I  mean  to  stay  all  night 
with  them,  for  it  would  be  like  visiting  brother  or  sis- 
ter." 

We  now  began  to  calculate  where  we  should  camp 
that  night.  I  said,  * -Let's  make  a  dry  camp  tonight,  we 
can  fill  our  canteen,    and  water   our  horses  at   a  stream 


1 82  THE    CONTENTS  OF    THE    GIRLS'    SACK. 

that  crosses  the  trail  and  then  we  can  ride  on  till  dark. 
In  doing  this  way  we  will  avoid  the  Indians,  and  will  not 
have  to  guard  against  them  in  the  night,  for  the  Indians 
invariably  camp  near  the  water." 

We  made  a  long  ride  that  day,  and  picked  a  nice  place 
to  camp  that  night.  As  soon  as  we  had  unsaddled  and 
unpacked  our  horses,  I  said,  ,  'Jim,  I  will  stake  the 
horses,  if  you  will  make  a  fire. "  When  I  came  back  from 
attending  to  the  horses,  Jim  said,  **Look  here  Will,  see, 
what  them  girls  gave  me.  but  I  guess  they  meant  it  for 
you." 

And  he  showed  me  the  sack  which  the  girls  had  given 
him  as  we  were  leaving  them  that  morning.  I  looked  in- 
to it  and  saw  two  large  cakes  and  a  good  sized  piece  of 
roasted  Elk  calf.  The  reader  may  imagine  how  good 
this  nice  food  looked  to  two  hungry  men,  and  we  surely 
did  justice  to  it.  When  we  were  eating  Jim  made  the 
remark,  that  it  would  be  many  a  long  day  before  we  met 
with  such  a  company  again  as  those  we  had  left  thai 
morning.  He  said,  *'In  nearly  all  large  companies  there 
are  cranks,  either  men  or  women,  and  some  times,  both, 
but  all  that  outfit  were  perfect  ladies  and  gentlemen,  and 
they  all  seemed  to  want  to  do  what  was  right,  and  the 
men  were  all  brave  and  the  women  were  sensible." 

The  next  morning  we  pulled  out  early,  and  we  made 
good  progress  for  five  days,  making  dry  camps  every 
night.  Nothing  occured  to  disturb  us  until  we  reached 
the  Sink   of  the    Humboldt.   Here  were    Indian  signs  in 


TRAVELING    IN    THE    NIGHT.  1 83 

every  direction.  We  knew  we  would  be  in  the  heart  of 
the  Ute  country  for  the  next  hundred  miles,  so  we  decid- 
ed to  do  our  traveling  in  the  night  and  lay  over  and  rest 
in  the  daytime. 

We  picked  our  camping  places  off  the  trail  where  we 
thought  the  Indians  would  not  be  likely  to  discover  us. 
The  second  night  after  we  left  the  Sink  of  the  Humboldt, 
we  crossed  a  little  stream  called  Sand  Creek,  and  just  off 
to  the  right  of  the  trail  we  saw  what  we  thought  must 
have  been  five  hundred  Indians  in  camp.  Most  of  them 
were  laying  around  asleep,  but  a  few  were  sitting  at  the 
fire  smoking,  and  we  succeeded  in  riding  past  them  with- 
out their  noticing  us.  After  we  had  got  entirely  away 
from  their  camp  fires,  Jim  said,  *  -Will,  we  are  the  luck- 
iest chaps  that  ever  crossed  the  plains,  for  if  them  Ind- 
ians had  seen  us,  they  would  have  filled  our  hides  full 
of  arrows  just  to  get  our  horses,  and  I  think  we  had  bet- 
ter keep  on  travehng  in  the  night  until  we  strike  Black's 
Fork,  then  we  will  be  pretty  near  out  of  the  Utes  coun- 
try. 

When  we  got  to  Lone  Tree  on  Black's  Fork  we  lay 
over  one  day,  to  let  our  horses  rest  and  to  get  rested  our- 
selves. 

It  was  a  little  before  sunrise  that  morning  when  we 
reached  Lone  Tree.  I  said  to  Jim,  *'Are  you  hungry?'' 
He  replied  that  he  was  too  hungry  to  tell  the  truth. 

I  answered,  *  *A11  right,  you  take  care  of  the  horses, 
and  I  will  get  an  Antelope  and  we  will  have  a  fine  break- 


1 84  JIM    HAD    A    FIRE    BURNING. 

saht." 

Jim  said,  *'Well,  don't  disappoint  me  Will,  for  I  am  in 
the  right  shape  to  eat  a  half  an  Antelope. " 

I  took  my  gun  and  went  up  on  a  little  ridge  and  looked 
over  and  not  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  me  I  saw  a  large 
band  of  Antelope,  and  I  saw  that  they  were  feeding 
directly  towards  me.  I  hid  myself  in  a  little  bunch  of 
sage  brush  and  waited  until  they  fed  up  to  within  fifty 
yards  of  me,  I  then  fired  and  brought  down  a  little  two 
year  old  buck.  I  took  him  up,  threw  him  over  my  should- 
er, and  went  back  to  camp  as  fast  as  I  could  go.  When 
I  reached  there  Jim  had  a  fire  burning  and  in  a  few  min- 
utes we  had  the  meat  cooking.  Jim  made  the  remark 
that  we  had  enough  to  do  to  keep  us  busy  all  day,  for 
when  we  were  not  eating,  we  must  be  sleeping,  for  he 
was  about  as  hungry  as  he  ever  was  and  so  sleepy  that 
he  did  not  dare  to  sit  down  for  fear  he  would  fall  asleep 
without  his  breakfast. 

After  we  had  enjoyed  a  very  hearty  meal  of  meat  and 
bread,  for  we  ate  the  last  piece  of  bread  that  the  ladies 
had  given  us  that  morning,  we  smoked  our  pipes  a  few 
moments,  and  then  we  spread  our  blankets  on  the  ground 
under  the  only  tree  in  ten  miles  of  us,  and  we  were  soon 
lost  to  every  thing  in  a  sleep  that  lasted  until  near  night. 
I  did  at  least.  When  I  awoke  I  found  Jim  cooking  meat 
for  supper.  When  he  saw  that  I  was  awake,  he  said, 
**Come  Will,  get  up,  we  have  had  our  sleep.  Now  we  will 
have  our  supper." 


WHIPS  WERE  SNAPPING    AND   VOICES    SHOUTING*       1 85 

While  we  were  eating  I  asked  Jim,  if  we  could  make 
Green  River  tomorrow.  He  said,  **Yes,  we  must  get 
out  of  here  tomorrow  morning  by  daylight.  Our  horses 
will  be  well  rested  as  we  ourselves  will  be.  We  want 
to  make  Green  River  tomorrow  night  and  Rock  Springs 
the  next  night.  I  consider,  it  is  about  eighty  miles  to 
Rock  Springs  from  here,  and  we  ought  to  make  it  in  two 
days." 

The  next  morning  we  were  up  bright  and  early,  and 
were  on  our  journey,  as  soon  as  we  could  see  the  trail. 
Nothing  happened  to  disturb  us,  and  we  reached  Green 
River  just  before  sun  set.  We  crossed  the  river  and  went 
into  camp  just  above  the  Ford.  We  had  just  got  our 
horses  staked  out  when  we  heard  whips  snapping  and 
peoples'  voices  shouting. 

Jim  listened  a  moment  and  said,  **What  in  thunder 
does  that  mean.?" 

I  answered,  **I  think  it  is  an  emigrant  train  coming." 
Jim  said,  **By  jove  if  that  is  so,  we  will  have  to  move 
from  here  and  stake  our  horses  some  where  else,  for  no 
doubt  they  will  want  to  camp  right  here,  and  if  there  is 
much  of  a  train,  they  will  take  all  the  room  in  this  little 
valley." 

In  a  few  minutes  they  hove  in  sight.  Jim  said,  *N*ovv, 
let*s  get  to  one  side  and  see  if  they  have  any  system  about 
their  camping  and  then  we  will  know  whether  it  is  worth 
while  for  us  to  apply  for  a  job  or  not.'* 

They  did  not  seem  to  know   that   they  were  near  a 


1 86  THEY   THOUGHT   US  TO   BE   WILD   MEN. 

river  by  the  way  they  acted.  Some  of  them  would  leave 
their  wagons  and  run  down  to  the  streBm  and  run  back 
again  and  talk  with  the  others.  Finally  they  discovered 
Jim  and  me  and  about  twenty  of  the  men  came  to  where 
we  were  sitting.  We  had  started  a  fire  and  were  wait- 
ing for  it  to  get  hot  enough  to  cook  our  meat  for  our  sup- 
per, and  it  was  certainly  very  amusing  to  watch  their 
faces.  They  looked  at  us,  as  if  they  thought  us  wild  men. 
We  learned  afterwards  that  they  had  never  seen  any  one 
dressed  in  Buck  Skin  before. 

After  staring  at  us  a  while,  one  of  them,  an  old  man, 
said,  ** Where  in  creation  are  you  two  men  from?" 

Jim  answered,  *'We  have  just  come  from  Sacramento 
Valley,  California." 

And  did  you  come  all  the  way  alone.^ 

Jim  answered,  *'Yes  sir,  we  did." 

**Did  you  see  any  Indians.?"  he  inquired. 

Jim  said,  **Yes,  about  a  thousand  I  think." 
.     *'Did  they  try  to  kill  you.?" 

**Oh,  no,"  Jim  said,  **They  were  asleep,  when  we  saw 
hem." 

*  'Why,  they  told  us  back  at  Fort  Kerney  that  the  Ind- 
ans  never  slept  day  or  night,"  the  ofd  man  said. 

Jim  answered,  that  they  slept  a  little  at  night  some 
limes,  and  that  was  the  time  we  took  to  travel.  We 
had  traveled  nearly  all  the  way  from  California  to  this 
p!ace  after  night  and  in  some  places  where  we  traveled 
ov'er,  the  Indians  were  as  thick  as  jack  rabbits. 


WE  did'nt  have  a  bite  since  day-break.         187 

One  of  the  men  then  inquired,  when  we  went  to  Calif- 
ornia. 

Jim  answered,  *'We  left  Fort  Kerney  about  eight 
weeks  ago  and  piloted  the  biggest  train  of  emigrants 
across  the  plains  that  has  ever  gone  to  California,  and 
we  did  not  lose  a  person  or  a  head  of  stock,  but  we  got 
a  good  many  Indian  scalps  on  the  way." 

One  of  the  men  then  said.  **Ain*t  you  Jim  Bridgerand 
Will  Drannan,  that  the  commander  at  the  Fort  told  us 
about.?" 

Jim  replied,  *  *That  is  who  we  are. " 

One  of  them  then  asked  if  we  would  pilot  another 
train  to  Califoraia. 

Jim  answered,  ''I  don't  know,  the  Indians  are  getting 
so  dog  goned  thick  that  there  is  no  fun  in  the  job,  but 
you  folks  go  and  get  your  supper,  and  let  us  eat  ours. 
We  are  dog  goned  hungry  for  we  hav'nt  had  a  bite  since 
day-break  this  morning.  You  can  come  back  here  after 
supper,  and  we  will  talk  to  you." 

By  this  time  there  must  have  been  a  hundred  men 
standing  around  us,  but  when  Jim  told  them  that  we 
wanted  to  eat  our  supper,  they  all  scattered.  After  they 
had  left  us,  Jim  said,  *  *  You  get  supper  Will,  and  I  will 
go  and  see  whethar  there  is  any  system  about  this  outfit 
or  not,  and  if  supper  is  ready  before  I  get  back  don't 
wait  for  me  for  I  may  not  get  back  in  half  aa  hour  or 
more." 

I  had  got  my  meat  on  the  fire  and  was  just  making  the 


1 88  ADMIRING   THE  BUCK  SKIN  SUIT. 

coffee  when  a  number  of  women,  I  should  think  about  a 
dozen  of  them,  came  near  me  and  stopped  and  gazed  at 
me.  I  bid  them  good  evening  and  asked  them  to  have 
supper  with  me.  One  of  them  answered,  *'No,  I  came 
to  ask  you  to  come  and  eat  supper  with  us.  My  father 
sent  me  to  invite  you." 

I  thanked  her  and  told  her  that  as  my  own  supper  was 
nearly  ready  I  would  eat  at  my  own  camp.  I  had  taken 
my  Buck  skin  coat  off  and  laid  it  on  our  pack.  One  of  the 
women  asked  me,  if  she  could  look  at  it.  I  told  her  that 
she  could,  if  she  wished  to. 

While  they  were  looking  at  the  coat  and  exclaiming 
over  it's  beauty,  it  was  heavily  embroidered  with  beads 
and  porcupine  quills,  and  was  an  odd  looking  garment 
to  one  not  accustomed  to  seeing  the  clothing  of  the  fron- 
tiers men,  a  couple  of  girls  came  running  to  me,  saying, 
* 'Father  wants  you  to  come  and  eat  supper  with  us,  Mr. 
Bridger  is  eating  now."  So  I  took  the  meat  and  coffee 
off  the  fire  and  put  my  coat  on  and  went  with  them. 
When  I  got  in  speaking  distance  of  Jim  I  said,  *'I  thought 
you  told  me  to  cook  supper.^''  Jim  answered,  *'I  know  I 
did  Will,  but  we  did'nt  have  any  fried  onions  and  these 
folks  have,  so  I  thought  we  would  eat  here  and  save  our 
supper.'* 

The  people  all  laughed  at  Jim  being  so  saving  and 
then  the  old  man  asked  what  we  would  charge  to  pilot 
the  train  through  to  California.  Jim  asked,  *'How  many 
wagons  have  you  in  this  outfit.'^" 


THE  WHOLE  COMPANY   GATHERED    AROUND  US.        1 89 

He  answered,  that  he  was  not  sure,  but  he  thought 
there  were  about  a  hundred  and  thirty  five. 

**How  many  men  are  there  in  thetrain.^"  The  old 
man  said,  **0h  dog  gone  it,  I  can't  tell." 

Jim  said,  *'Have  you  got  no  Captain.?" 

The  old  man  answered,  **Why  no,  we  hav'nt  any  use 
for  a  Captain." 

Jim  then  said,  **Well  I  don't  suppose  they  have  any 
use  for  a  commander  over  at  the  Fort  then.  Suppose 
the  Indians  should  make  an  attack  on  them  over  there, 
and  there  was  no  Commander  there,  what  do  you  think 
the  soldiers  would  do.?  I  will  tell  you  what  would  hap- 
pen. The  most  of  the  soldiers  would  be  scalped,  and  it 
is  the  same  way  with  a  train  of  emigrants  if  the  Indians 
attack  them,  and  they  have  no  leader  or  what  we  call  a 
Captain;  they  will  all  be  scalped  and  in  a  mighty  short 
time  too.  Now  you  call  the  men  together  and  come  to 
our  camp,  and  we  will  talk  this  matter  over,  and  then  we 
will  see  if  we  can  make  a  bargain  with  the  crowd. " 

In  a  few  minutes  it  seemed  as  if  all  the  men  and  women 
of  the  train  were  standing  around  our  camp. 

Jim  said  to  them,  '*I  want  some  man  who  is  a  good 
reader  to  read  this  letter  to  the  company." 

And  he  held  up  one  of  the  letters  of  recommendation 
given  us  by  the  people  of  the  train  we  had  left  a  few  days' 
before.     A  middle  aged  man  came  forward  and  said,  *'I 
reckon  I  can  read  it;I  am  a  school  teacher  by  profession, 
and  I  am  used  to  reading  all  kinds  of  hand  writting. " 


I90  "WE    WILL  TALK    BUSINESS   TOMORROW. 

He  took  the  letter,  stepped  up  on  a  log  and  in  a  clear* 
loud  voice  read  it  to  the  company.  After  he  had  finished 
reading  it  the  man  handed  the  letter  back  to  Jim  with  the 
remark  that  it  was  a  fine  recommendation  and  gave  a 
character  few  men  could  claim. 

Jim  now  told  the  emigrants,  that  before  we  took  charge 
of  a  train  he  always  had  the  men  of  the  train  select  a 
committee  from  their  number,  and  this  committee  had 
the  entire  charge  of  the  business  in  making  arrangements 
with  us  and  all  other  matters  that  might  take  place  on 
the  trip.  **Now  if  you  want  us  to  pilot  this  train  across 
to  California,  get  together  and  select  your  committee, 
and  they  can  come  to  us  and  we  will  talk  business.  '* 

It  was  now  nearly  eleven  o'clock  at  night,  so  Jim  told 
the  people  that  we  had  traveled  a  long  distance  that  day 
and  were  very  tired,  and  he  thought  we  had  better  not 
make  any  bargain  that  night.  We  would  go  to  our  rest, 
and  in  the  morning  they  could  tell  us  what  they  had  de- 
cided on.  Next  morning  Jim  and  I  were  up  very  early 
and  so  were  the  most  of  the  emigrants.  We  were  build- 
ing a  fire  to  get  our  breakfast  when  one  of  the  emigrants 
came  to  us  and  invited  us  to  take  breakfast  with  him. 
He  said  there  had  been  a  committee  selected,  that  the 
men  talked  the  matter  over  after  they  left  us  the  night 
before  and  they  chose  five  men  to  make  arrangements  with 
us.  **But  as  we  did  not  go  to  bed  until  nearly  morning  I 
don't  think  they  are  all  up  yet, "  he  said,  smiling. 

We  went  with  him  and  found  breakfast  waiting  for  us. 


''CONSIDER   YOURSELVES   ENGAGED.  IQI 

After  we  had  finished,  two  of  the  men  came  to  us  and 
said,  they  were  two  of  the  five  who  had  been  appointed 
to  do  business  with  us,  and  that  the  other  three  would 
meet  us  at  our  camp  in  a  few  minutes.  So  Jim  and  I 
went  back  to  our  camp,  and  in  a  very  short  time  the  five 
men  were  with  us.  One  of  them  asked  us,  how  much 
we  would  charge  to  pilot  them  to  Galifornia.  Jim  said, 
**How  many  wagons  have  you?" 

He  said,  **We  have  ninety  here  now,  and  there  will  be 
twenty  more  here  by  noon. " 

Jim  asked,  **How  many  men  are  there  in  the  com- 
pany?'* 

They  said  they  did  not  know  for  certain  but  thought 
there  would  be  about  a  hundred  and  ninety.  Jim  said, 
that  we  would  take  them  across  to  California  for  five 
dollars  a  day  which  would  be  two  dollars  and  a  half  for 
each  of  us.  '^Providing  you  will  promise  to  obey  our  or- 
ders in  all  things  pertaining  to  the  protection  of  the  train 
and  also  give  us  two  days  to  drill  the  teamsters  and  the 
scouts,  but  we  will  have  to  move  on  one  day  from  here,  as 
there  is  no  ground  here  that  is  fit  to  drill  on." 

One  of  the  committee  said,  **We  will  give  you  an  an- 
swer in  twenty  minutes,"  and  they  went  back  to  their 
camp  which  was  a  hundred  yards  or  more  from  ours.  Jim 
and  I  caught  our  horses  and  were  saddling  them  when  the 
committee  came  back  to  us,  and  told  us  we  could  consi- 
der ourselves  engaged. 

I  now  spoke  for  the  first  time,  Jim  having  done  all  the 


192  TEN   MEN    WERE    SELECTED   AS    LEADERS. 

talking  before.  I  said,  **!  want  you  men  to  select  ten 
good  men  who  own  their  horses.  I  prefer  young  men  who 
are  good  horsemen,  for  I  want  them  to  assist  me  in  doing 
Bcout  work. " 

This  seemed  to  surprise  the  men.  One  of  them  asked, 
what  the  young  men  would  have  to  do.  Jim  now  spoke 
up  in  hfs  joking  way  and  said,  *'They  will  find  enough 
to  do  before  we  get  to  California.  For  example  I  will 
show  you  what  Will  and  his  scouts  have  done  on  our 
last  trip  across.  '*  At  the  same  time  he  was  untying  the 
sack  that  held  the  Indian  scalps  we  had  taken  on  our  last 
trip  to  California.  When  he  emptied  the  sack  it  was 
amusing  to  us  to  see  their  faces.  Their  first  expression 
was  of  surprise,  and  the  next  was  of  horror.  Jim  took 
up  one  of  the  scalps  and  shook  it  out  and  said,  **Taking 
these  is  one  of  the  things  you  young  men  may  have  to 
do,"  and  he  continued,  * 'These  scalps  which  seem  to  give 
you  men  the  horrors  to  look  at  now,  will  be  worth  more 
than  money  to  all  the  people  of  this  train,  for  they  will 
save  the  lives  of  all  of  you,  and  that  is  more  than  money 
could  do  in  an  attack  by  the  Indians." 

Some  of  the  men  wanted  to  know  in  what  way  the 
scalps  would  save  them.  Jim  answered,  **Let  us  get  on 
the  road  to  our  next  camping  ground,  and  I  will  explain 
everything  in  regard  to  the  protection  of  the  train  when 
we  get  to  drilling.'' 

In  a  short  time  every  thing  was  on  the  move,  and  we 
reached  our  place  to  camp  about  four  o'clock  in  the  after- 


* 'BRING   YOUR   GUNS    AND  PISTOL3    ALONG."  EQJ 

noon.  Jim  commenced  to  put  the  numbers  on  the  wagons 
as  soon  as  we  landed  in  camp  in  order  to  get  to  drilHng 
as  early  as  possible  in  the  morning.  We  had  been  in 
camp  but  a  short  time  when  one  of  the  committee  men 
came  to  me  and  said,  *'We  have  selected  your  men,  Mr. 
Drannan,  come  out,  and  I  will  introduce  them  to  you, 
and  you  can  see  if  they  would  suit  you,  and  if  they  do, 
you  can  tell  them  what  you  want  them  to  do." 

We  went  outside  the  corral  and  we  found  the  ten  men 
there  with  their  horses.  I  asked  them  if  they  all  had 
rifles  and  pistols,  they  said,  they  had.  I  next  asked 
them  if  they  had  ever  practiced  shooting  off  their  horses' 
backs,  and  they  all  said,  no,  nor  had  ever  heard  of  such 
a  way  of  shooting.  I  then  said,  "Now  boys,  it  is  too 
late  in  the  evening  to  commence  practicing,  but  I  want 
you  all  to  meet  me  here  after  breakfast  in  the  mornmg, 
and  have  your  horses  and  guns  and  pistols  with  you,  and 
you  may  make  up  your  mind  to  do  a  hard  day's  work 
tomorrow." 

That  evening  Jim  and  I  had  a  talk  by  ourselves,  in 
regard  to  how  much  time  we  should  take  to  drill  the  men. 
Jim  said,  *'Will,  do  you  think  you  can  drill  your  men  in 
one  day  so  they  will  know  enough  to  risk  starting  out 
day  after  tomorrow.^" 

I  answered,  *'I  think  I  can  Jim." 

He  thought  a  moment  and  then  said,  **I  don't  like  to 
hurry  you  in  training  your  men  Will,  but  you  know  it  is 
getting   late  in  the  season,    and  we  have  a  long  road  to 


194  A  QUIET   CONVERSATION. 

travel  after  we  get  these  emigrants  through  to  California, 
in  order  to  get  back  home  to  Taos  before  the  winter  sets 
in,  and  I  have  no  doubt  Kit  wfU  be  looking  for  us  long 
before  we  get  there. " 

I  said,  *  Jim,  this  will  be  my  last  trip  as  a  pilot  for 
emigrants." 

Jim  laughed,  and  answered,  '*I  thought,  this  kind  of 
business  just  suited  you.  Will,  for  you  are  a  favorite  with 
the  girls,  especially  when  you  bring  in  scalps." 

I  answered,  **The  girls  are  all  right,  Jim,  but  there  is 
too  much  responsibility  in  such  an  undertaking  and  be- 
sides, it  is  impossible  to  suit  every  body." 

Jim  answered,  **There  is  a  good  deal  of  truth  in  what 
you  say  Will,  it  is  not  an  easy  job  to  please  so  many 
people  all  at  once.  We  will  hurry  this  trip  through  as 
quick  as  possible  and  get  them  off  our  hands." 

The  next  morning  I  was  up  early  and  met  the  men 
who  were  to  be  trained  to  make  scouts.  We  went  to  a 
little  grove  of  timber  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  camp. 
I  selected  a  small  tree,  probably  a  foot  through,  dis- 
mounted and  made  a  crossmark  with  my  knife.  I  then 
asked  the  boys,  if  they  thought  they  could  hit  that  cross 
with  their  guns  or  pistols  with  their  horses  on  the  dead 
run.  One  of  them  said,  **No,  I  don't  know  as  I  could 
hit  it  with  my  horse  standing  still." 

I  answered,  *'But  that  is  just  what  I  must  teach  you 
to  do,  if  you  are  ever  to  make  a  scout  to  guard  against 
Indians  or  fight   them.     I  will  mount  my   horse   and  go 


BOTH  BALLS  STRUCK  THE  CROSS.         1 95 

back  to  that  little  bunch  of  brush, "  and  I  pointed  to  a 
bunch  of  brush,  that  was  perhaps  a  little  more  than  a 
hundred  yards  from  the  tree,  *  'And  all  of  you  men  fol- 
low me." 

When  we  reached  the  brush,  I  turned  my  horse's  head 
towards  the  tree  I  had  marked,  and  I  then  said,  **Now 
boys,  I  am  going  to  put  my  horse  down  to  his  best  speed, 
and  I  want  you  all  to  follow  me  and  keep  as  close  to  me 
as  you  can  and  each  man  look  out  for  his  own  horse 
when  I  commence  to  shoot.  At  the  same  time  keep 
your  eyes  on  me,  for  I  want  each  one  of  you  to  take  his 
turn  in  doing  as  I  do,  and  I  want  you  to  repeat  the 
thing  until  you  can  hit  the  mark  as  I  shall  do." 

I  now  started  my  horse  at  full  speed  and  before  I  had 
got  to  the  tree  I  had  fired  my  second  shot,  and  both  balls 
struck  near  the  cross,  but  I  was  surprised,  and  I  will  not 
deny  also  amused  to  see  the  way  the  boys  were  trying  to 
stop  their  horses;  they  were  running  in  every  direction, 
and  appeared  to  be  nearly  frightened  to  death  and  ap- 
parently their  riders  had  no  control  over  tbem,  but  final- 
ly they  checked  them  and  rode  back  to  where  I  stood. 

I  said,  **Boys,  you  certainly  have  your  horses  train- 
ed to  run  from  the  Indians  if  you  can't  stop  to  fight 
them." 

One  of  the  boys  said,  **I  never  saw  my  horse  act  the 
fool  as  he  has  done  today." 

I  said,  '*Now,  which  one  of  you  are  going  to  try  it 
again  first?     Don't  all  speak  at  once. " 


196  **WHO   COMES    NEXT?" 

It  was  some  minutes  before  any  one  answered.  At 
last  one  of  them  said,  *:I  will  try  it,  shall  we  all  come 
down  together  as  we  did  with  you?" 

I  told  him,  *'No,  I  want  you  to  all  to  try  it  single- 
handed  once  and  then  we  will  try  it  in  groups  of  three, 
but  if  you  are  afraid  you  cannot  manage  your  horse  I 
will  ride  beside  you." 

He  answered,  **No,  I  have  got  to  break  him  in  to  it, 
and  I  might  as  well  do  it  at  the  start. " 

So  the  others  got  out  of  his  way,  and  he  rode  to  the 
brush,  wheeled  his  horse,  put  the  spurs  to  him  and  came 
at  full  speed.  When  within  fifty  feet  of  the  tree  he  fired 
his  rifle  and  missed  the  tree,  but  pulled  his  pistol  and 
made  a  good  shot,  and  he  did  not  have  much  trouble  in 
stopping  his  horse  this  time. 

When  he  rode  back  to  us,  I  showed  him  the  hole 
where  the  bullet  struck  it,  and  told  him  he  had  done  ex- 
ceptionally well. 

He  said,  **Can't  I  give  it  another  trial?" 

I  said,  *'Not  now.  Best  let  every  one  have  a  try 
first." 

I  saw  that  they  were  a  little  encouraged  by  the  first 
one's  success,  sol  said,  *:Who  comes  next.?" 

One  of  them  said,  *'I  reckon  it  is  me  next,"  and  he  was 
on  his  horse  in  a  twinkle  and  off  for  the  brush.  This 
man  was  in  a  little  too  much  of  a  hurry;  he  shot  too  soon 
and  missed  the  tree  which  scared  his  horse,  and  he  turn- 
ed and  ran  in  an  opposite   direction,    and  the  rider  ha4 


*^WHAT   CAN   IT   BE?"  1 97 

all  he  could  do  to  attend  to  him  so  he  did  not  fire  his 
pistol  at  all.  When  he  came  back  the  boys  had  a  Igiugh 
on  him. 

He  said,  '  *A11  right,  see  that  the  balance  of  you  does 
better.'' 

They  all  gave  it  a  trial  and  out  of  the  ten  men  only 
three  hit  the  mark  with  either  rifle  or  pistol.  Before  we 
got  through  practicing  there  must  have  been  as  many  as 
a  hundred  men  from  the  camp  watching  the  performance. 
After  each  man  had  tried  singly  I  formed  them  in  squads 
of  three,  and  they  were  more  successful  that  way  than 
they  were  alone  from  the  fact  that  their  horses  were 
getting  used  to  the  report  of  the  guns. 

The  reader  will  understand  that  the  drilling  was  done 
more  for  the  benefit  of  the  horses  than  it  was  for  the  men, 
for  many  times  if  the  horses  were  unmanageable  when  in 
a  fight  with  the  Indians,  the  rider  was  in  a  great  deal 
more  danger  of  being  killed  than  he  would  have,  if  he 
could  manage  his  horse. 

As  it  was  getting  near  noon  I  called  it  off  until  after 
dinner.  When  we  were  near  the  corral  going  back  to 
camp  I  pointed  to  a  large  log  that  was  laying  on  the 
ground  and  told  the  boys  to  meet  me  there  on  foot,  and 
I  would  put  them  through  another  kind  of  a  drill,  which 
was  more  essential  for  them  to  know  than  the  one  we  had 
been  practicing.  One  of  them  said,  **What  can  it 
be.?" 

I  answered,    'It  is  to   learn  to  signal  to  each   other 


198       THEY  WERE   SITTING   ON   THE   FALLEN    TREE. 

without  speaking  when  you  are  in  danger/* 

After  dinner  I  had  a  talk  with  Jim  in  regard  to  how  he 
was  succeeding  in  drilling  his  teamsters.  He  said  they 
were  doing  fine  and  would  be  ready  to  pull  out  in  the 
morning.  He  said,  '*Will,  these  are  not  such  people  to 
handle  as  the  last  train  we  drilled.'* 

I  said,  **What  makes  you  think  so,  Jim.?'* 

He  answered,  *  'There  are  a  few  in  this  outfit  who  do 
not  believe  there  will  be  trouble  with  the  Indians." 

I  answered,  *'Well,  Jim,  these  are  of  the  class  that  will 
not  obey  orders,  and  they  will  get  the  worst  of  it,  and  no 
one  can  blame  us.** 

When  I  went  to  meet  the  boys,  they  were  all  standing 
or  sitting  on  the  fallen  tree,  waiting  for  me.  I  asked,  if 
they  had  ever  heard  a  Coyote  howl.  They  said,  not  un- 
til they  heard  them  on  this  trip.  Then  I  explained  to 
them,  that  the  Indians  were  so  used  to  hearing  the 
Coyotes  howl,  that  they  took  no  notice  of  that  kind  of  a 
noise  day  or  night,  so  we  frontiers-men  always  used  the 
bark  or  howl  of  a  Coyote  as  a  signal  to  call  each  other 
together  in  times  of  danger.  I  then  gave  a  howl  that 
the  boys  said  no  Coyote  could  beat,  and  in  a  couple  of 
hours  I  had  them  all  drilled  so  they  could  mimic  the  Coy- 
otes very  well. 

We  went  back  to  camp,  got  our  horses,  and  put 
in  the  afternoon  in  shooting  at  targets  on  horse  back. 
Before  we  separated  that  evening  I  told  the  men  what 
position  I  wanted  each  one   of  them  to  take,    when  the 


READY   TO   START. 


199 


train  was  ready  to  move  in  the  morning.  I  also  told 
them,  they  must  always  meet  me  at  the  head  of  the  train 
before  we  started  the  train  every  morning  to  get  their 
instructions  for  the  day.  Every  one  of  the  ten  seemed 
to  be  willing  and  ready  to  obey  every  thing  I  asked  them 
to  do. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


All  was  in  readiness  for  the  start  on  the  road  the  next 
morning,  and  we  pulled  out  in  good  season.  Every 
thing  worked  smoothly  for  the  next  three  days,  and  then 
we  were  in  the  Ute  country,  and  there  were  also  a  great 
many  Buffalo  scattered  all  through  the  country.  I  had 
seen  some  signs  of  Indians  but  up  to  this  time  I  had 
seen  only  one  small  band  of  them,  and  they  were  going 
in  the  opposite  direction  from  the  one  we  were  go- 
ing. 

The  evening  of  the  third  day  after  we  had  eaten  our 
supper  about  twenty  men  came  to  where  Jim  and  I  were 
sitting  on  a  log  having  a  smoke  and  a  private  talk  to- 
gether. 

One  of  them  who  seemed  to  be  the  leader  said,  '*We 
want  some  Buffalo  meat,  and  we  propose  to  go  out 
and  get  some  tomorrow,  now  what  do  you  think  about 
it?" 


(200) 


They  raced  around  us  in  a  circle. — Page  232, 


**D0   AS    YOU    DARNED   PLEASE."  aOJ 

Jim  said,  ''Which  way  do  you  think  of  going?"  Point- 
ing to  the  south  he  said,  **We  think  of  going  down  into 
those  low  hills  not  more  than  eight  or  ten  miles  from  the 
trail." 

Jim  answered,  *'I  have  no  doubt  you  would  find  Buf- 
falo and  maybe  kill  some,  but  I  have  grave  doubt  of  your 
ever  getting  back  alive." 

The  man  said,  ''Do you  think  we  would  getlost.^" 

Jim  answered,  "Yes,  I  think  you  would,  if  the  Indians 
shoot  you  full  of  arrows  and  take  your  scalp  off." 

He  answered,  *  'We  have  got  to  find  some  Indians  be- 
fore they  have  a  chance  to  scalp  us,  and  I  doti't  believe 
there  is  an  Indian  out  there,  and  we  are  going  hunting 
in  the  morning." 

Jim  answered,  *'A11  right,  do  just  as  you  darned  please, 
but  I  will  tell  you  this  just  here  and  now.  When  you 
go  a  half  a  mile  from  the  train  without  our  consent,  you 
will  be  out  from  under  our  protection,  and  we  shall  not 
hold  ourselves  responsible  for  your  lives." 

They  turned  away  from  us,  saying.  *'We  will  take  the 
chances;  we  want  some  Buffalo  meat,  and  we  are  going 
to  get  it. " 

The  next  morning  when  the  train  pulled  out  twenty- 
three  men  left  us,  mounted  on  their  horses  with  their 
guns  all  in  trim  for  a  Buflalo  hunt,  and  four  out  of  the 
twenty  three  was  all  we  ever  saw  again  either  dead  or 
alive. 

We  pulled  out,    and  every   thing  moved   on  nicely  all 


204  AROUSED   ANXIETY. 

day.  I  saw  a  great  deal  of  Indian  sign  at  various  places 
during  the  day.  About  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  one 
of  the  scouts  reported  that  he  saw  a  band  of  Indians  ofl 
to  the  south.  As  soon  as  he  reported  this  to  me  I  went 
with  him  to  the  top  of  a  high  ridge  where  we  could  see 
all  over  the  country  and  sure  enough  there  was  a  small 
band  of  Indians  some  two  or  three  miles  south  of  our  trail. 

After  watching  them  a  few  minutes,  I  saw  that  the%y 
were  going  from  us  so  I  knew  that  we  were  in  no  danger 
from  that  band. 

We  had  to  make  an  early  camp  that  evening  on  ac- 
count of  water.  It  was  one  of  my  duties  to  ride  ahead  of 
the  train  and  look  the  country  over  for  signs  of  Indians 
to  select  a  safe  camping  ground  for  each  night  although 
Jim  and  I  always  talked  over  the  best  place  to  camp  the 
coming  night  before  we  struck  out  in  the  morning. 

That  night  I  did  not  get  in  until  Jim  had  the  wagons 
all  corralled.  Jim  came  to  me  as  soon  as  I  rode  in  and 
said,  "Will,  have  you  seen  any  thing  of  the  men  that 
went  hunting  this  morning.?" 

I  answered,  **I  neither  saw  or  heard  anything  of  them 
since  I  saw  them  ride  away  this  morning,  but  I  will  call 
my  scouts  together,  and  ask  them  if  they  have  seen  them 
during  the  day." 

When  I  inquired  of  the  men  I  learned  that  they  had 
not  seen  or  heard  of  them  and  had  not  even  heard  the 
report  of  a  gun  all  day. 

We  had  just  finished   eating   supper  that  night  when 


* 'WHERE  ARE  THE  MEN  THAT  WENT  HUNTING?"  20$ 

one  of  the  committee  men  came  to  us  and  said,  *  *Don't 
you  think  you  had  better  send  out  some  men  to  look  for 
the  party  that  went  a  hunting?" 

Jim  said,  *'I  told  those  men  not  to  go  away  from  the 
train,  that  there  was  danger  of  their  losing  their  scalps, 
if  they  left  us,  and  I  also  told  them,  that  if  they  went  a 
half  a  mile  from  the  train  I  should  not  be  responsible  for 
them  dead  or  alive,  they  answered  that  they  did  not  be- 
lieve there  was  an  Indian  in  the  country,  and  that  they 
would  take  the  chances  anyway,  and  more  than  that  I 
would  not  know  where  to  go  to  hunt  for  them  any  more 
than  you  would  for  the  country  for  miles  around  is  like 
this,  and  I  would  be  willing  to  bet  anything  that  you  will 
never  see  them  all  again." 

Dusk  was  settling  down,  and  as  the  night  came  on, 
and  the  hunters  did  not  come  in  the  excitement  grew 
more  intense.  About  twenty  men  came  to  me  and  in- 
quired, if  I  knew  what  kind  of  a  country  the  hunters 
would  be  apt  to  go  into.  I  answered,  that,  if  they  kept 
the  course  which  they  said  they  intended  to  go,  it  would 
lead  them  to  the  BufTalo  country  and  also  into  the  heart 
of  the  Indian  country.  One  of  them  then  asked  me,  if  I 
would  be  willing  to  try  to  find  the  absent  men  if  I  had 
enough  men  with  me  to  help. 

I  answered,  *'Why,  my  friends,  it  would  be  like  hunt- 
ing for  a  needle  in  a  hay-stack.  You  certainly  do  not  un- 
derstand the  ways  of  the  Indians.  If  the  Indians  have 
killed  those   men  they  will  take  the  bodies  with  them  if 


206       '^LISTEN,    PERHAPS   THEY*RE   COMING    NOW." 

they  have  to  carry  them  a  hundred  miles.  They  will 
take  them  to  their  village  and  spend  two  or  three  days 
in  having  a  scalp  dance,  so  you  will  see  how  useless  it 
would  be  to  try  to  find  them,  and  what  is  more  to  be 
thought  of,  if  we  should  stay  here  two  or  three  days  we 
should  in  all  probability  be  attacked  by  the  Utes  ourselves 
and  there  is  no  knowing  how  many  of  the  people  would 
be  killed,  or  how  much  other  damage  would  be  done." 

It  was  getting  towards  bed  time  when  four  women 
came  to  me  with  their  faces  swollen  with  tears.  One  of 
them  said.  **Mr.  Drannan  do  you  think  our  husbands 
have  been  killed  by  the  Indians.?" 

I  answered,  **That  is  a  question  I  can  not  answer,  but 
I  will  say  that  I  hope  they  have  not;  they  may  have  lost 
their  course,  and  in  that  way  have  escaped  the  Ind- 
ians." 

While  I  was  talking  with  the  women  I  heard  the  tramp 
of  horses*  feet  comingtowards  camp  on  the  trail. 

I  said,  * 'Listen,  perhaps  they  are  coming  now."  and  we 
went  to  meet  the  coming  horsemen.  There  were  four  of 
them,  and  one  of  them  was  the  husband  of  the  woman  I 
had  been  talking  to.  When  they  came  up  to  us  he 
jumped  off  his  horse  and  clasping  his  wife  in  his  arms  he 
said,  *'Oh  Mary,  I  never  expected  to  see  you  again." 

In  a  few  minutes  every  body  in  camp  was  standing 
around  those  four  men,  and  they  surely  had  a  dreadful 
story  to  tell.  They  said,  they  did  not  know  how  far  they 
rode  that  morning,  when  they  sighted    a  band  of  Buffalo 


ONLY  FOUR  CAME  BACK.  20/ 

in  a  little  valley.  They  fired  at  them  and  killed  four; 
they  dismounted  and  turned  their  horses  loose  and  went 
to  skinning  their  Buffalo  and  had  the  hides  nearly  off  ol 
them  when,  without  a  sound  to  warn  them  of  danger,  the 
Indians  pounced  upon  them  and  of  all  the  yelling  and 
shouting  that  ever  greeted  any  one's  ears  that  was  the 
worst  they  had  ever  heard,  and  the  arrows  flew  as  thick 
as  hail. 

**One  of  them  struck  me  here,"  and  he  pulled  up  his 
pants  and  showed  us  a  ragged  wound  in  the  calf  of  his 
leg.  After  we  had  looked  at  the  wounded  leg  he  contin- 
ued his  story.  He  said,  **As  soon  as  I  heard  the  first  yell 
I  ran  for  my  horse  and  was  fortunate  in  catching  him.  I 
think  the  reason  of  we  four  being  so  lucky  in  getting  away 
was  that  we  were  a  little  distance  from  the  others.  We 
were  off  at  one  side,  and  we  four  were  working  on  one 
Buffalo,  and  lucky  for  us  our  horses  were  feeding  close  to 
us.  I  do  not  believe  that  one  of  the  other  men  caught 
his  horse  as  their  horses  were  quite  a  distance  from  them, 
and  the  Indians  were  between  the  men  and  their 
horses.  The  last  I  saw  of  them  was  their  hopeless  strug- 
gle against  the  flying  Indians*  arrows. 

We  had  mounted  and  had  run  a  hundred  or  two  yards, 
when  we  saw  that  four  or  five  Indians  were  after  us.  They 
chased  us  two  or  three  miles.  It  seemed  that  our  horses 
could  outrun  theirs,  and  they  gave  up  the  chase,  but  in 
the  confusion  we  had  lost  our  course,  and  we  did  not 
know   which  direction  to  take,  and  we  have  been  all  the 


208  HO    SLEEP    IN    CAMP    THAT    NIGHT. 

rest  of  the  day  trying  to  find  the  train,  and  we  are  just 
about  worn  out,  and  we  are  hungry  enough  to  eat  any- 
thing, at  least  I  am." 

As  it  happened  Jim  Bridger  was  standing  near  me 
when  the  man  was  talking.  The  man  turned  and  said 
to  him,  *'Mr.  Bridger,  I  hope  all  the  people  of  this  train 
will  listen  to  your  advise  from  this  night  until  we  reach 
the  end  of  our  journey,  if  we  four  men  had  done  as  you 
told  us  to  do  we  would  not  have  suffered  what  we  have 
today  and  the  nineteen,  whom  I  have  no  doubt  have  been 
scalped  by  the  savages,  would  have  been  alive  and  well 
tonight.  There  is  no  one  to  blame  but  ourselves.  You 
warned  us,  but  we  thought  we  knew  more  than  you  did, 
and  the  dreadful  fate  that  overtook  the  most  of  the  com- 
pany shows  how  little  we  knew  what  we  were  doing  in 
putting  our  judgen^ent  in  opposition  to  men  whose  lives 
have  been  spent  in  learning  the  crafty  nature  of  the  Red- 
men." 

Jim  answered,  "'T  always  know  what  I  am  saying  when 
I  give  advise,  and  I  knew  what  would  be  liable  to  hap- 
pen to  you  if  you  left  tfce  protection  of  the  train.  This 
is  the  third  case  of  this  kind  which  has  happened  since 
Will  and  I  have  beeu  pilotii^g  emigrants  across  the  plains 
to  California,  and  I  hope  it  wJl  be  ^he  last." 

There  was  but  little  sleep  in  c^mp  thkt  nJght.  Out  of 
the  nineteen  men  that  were  killed,  tvPelvv^Oi  them  were  the 
heads  of  families,  and  the  cries  of  the  widc^v^sand  orpiian- 
ed  children  were  very  distressing  for  Jim  ^n*^*  \^*c  tc  bear^ 


A   SEEMING    CRUELTY.  209 

although  we  were  blameless.  The  next  morning  just 
after  breakfast  the  committee  of  five  men  came  to  Jim 
and  me  and  said,  they  wanted  to  have  a  private  talk 
with  us. 

Jim  said,  ^*A11  right,*'  and  we  all  went  outside  the  cor- 
ral. When  we  were  alone  by  ourselves,  one  of  them  said, 
*  *I  want  to  have  your  opinion  with  regard  to  hunting  for 
the  bodies  of  the  men  who  are  lost.  Do  you  think  it  pos- 
sible to  find  their  bodies,  if  they  were  killed.^'* 

Jim  said,  **No,  I  do  not.  In  the  first  place  we  do  not 
know  where  to  look.  In  the  second  place  the  Indians 
may  have  carried  them  fifty  or  seventy  five  miles  from 
where  they  killed  them.  In  the  third  place,  we  do  not 
know  where  the  Indian  village  is  or  in  what  direction  to 
look  for  it,  and  if  we  should  find  the  Indian  camp,  they 
may  be  so  strong  that  we  would  not  dare  to  attack  them, 
so  you  will  see  at  once  how  useless  it  would  be  for  us  to 
attempt  to  do  anything  in  regard  to  finding  their  bod- 
ies." 

One  of  the  committee  said,  **Well,  so  you  propose  to 
pull  out  and  go  on.^" 

Jim  said,  *'Yes,  that  is  what  I  propose  doing.  For 
the  next  four  hundred  miles  we  shall  be  in  the  worst  Ind- 
ian country  in  the  west,  and  I  want  to  get  this  train 
through  it  as  quickly  as  I  possibly  can." 

The  man  answered,  *'It  seems  cruel  to  do  it,  but  I  sup- 
dose  we  must  give  orders  to  get  ready  to  move." 

Jim  replied,  **Yes,  we  must  be    moving   at  once,  for  I 


2IO  HAVE  YOUR  GUNS  READY  FOR  IMMEDIATE  USE. 

cannot  risk  the  lives  of  the  living  to  hunt  for  those  who 
are  dead." 

We  were  on  the  road  in  less  then  an  hour,  the  com- 
mittee having  told  the  friends  of  the  lost  men,  what  the 
consequences  would  be  if  they  resisted  the  idea  of  mov- 
ing and  also  the  utter  uselessness  of  trying  to  find  their 
friends  dead  or  alive. 

When  the  train  was  already  to  move  Jim  rode  down 
the  whole  length  of  the  wagons  and  told  each  man  that  he 
wanted  every  one  of  them  to  have  their  guns  and  pistols 
loaded  and  ready  for  immediate  action  for,  he  told  them, 
**We  cannot  tell  at  what  minute  we  may  be  attacked  by 
the  Indians  and  if  your  guns  were  not  ready  for  use  you 
would  have  a  slim  chance  of  saving  your  own  lives  or  the 
lives  of  those  dependent  on  you." 

Every  one  seemed  to  understand  the  situation  better 
than  they  ever  had  before  and  promised  to  do  as  we  had 
asked  them  to  do.  Everything  moved  on  satisfactory, 
until  about  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  when  one  of  the 
scouts  from  the  north  side  reported  that  a  big  band  of 
Indians  was  coming  directly  towards  us.  I  spured  my 
horse  to  a  run,  and  when  we  reached  a  little  ridge  about 
a  half  a  mile  from  the  trail,  I  could  see  them  myself,  and 
I  could  see  that  they  were  all  warriors  for  there  were  no 
squaws  or  children  with  them,  and  I  thought  they  would 
number  a  thousand  strong. 

I  sent  my  companion  back  to  tell  Jim  what  was  in 
prospect  for  a  fight,  and  to  be  sure  and  have  the  Indian 


THE   INDIAN   SCOUT   WAS   SHARPER   THAN   I.  2X1 

scalps  hungup  in  the  most  conspicuous  places.  I  watch- 
ed the  Indians  until  they  had  got  within  a  half  a  mile 
of  the  trail  when  they  all  stopped  and  huddled  together 
for  several  minutes.  I  decided  they  were  planning  the 
attack  for  when  they  started  they  went  directly  for  the 
train  which  fact  convinced  me  that  the  Indians  had  had  a 
scout  out  as  well  as  I  had,  and  that  he  had  been  a  little 
sharper  than  I  was. 

I  now  signaled  for  all  the  scouts  to  get  to  the  train  at 
once,  and  the  reader  can  rest  assured  that  not  one  o£ 
them  including  myself  was  long  in  getting  there. 

We  found  every  thing  in  readiness  to  receive  the  Ind^ 
ians.  We  rode  inside  the  corral  of  wagons,  and  dismount 
ted.  I  told  my  men  to  follow  me.  We  went  to  the 
head  of  the  train  which  was  but  a  short  distance.  I 
placed  eight  men  under  two  wagons,  four  to  a  wagon, 
and  took  the  other  two  with  me  to  the  next  wagon.  I 
told  them  to  lay  flat  on  the  ground,  and  when  I  cried, 
**fire, "  for  each  one  to  shoot  and  to  be  sure  that  he  got 
his  Indian. 

When  the  savages  got  in  sight  of  the  wagons  they 
were  probably  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  from  them,  and 
to  my  surprise  they  all  stopped.  I  had  forgotten  the 
scalps  that  Jim  had  hung  up,  but  of  course  the  sight  of 
them  hanging  on  the  top  of  the  wagons  stopped  them, 
but  they  did  not  stop  longer  than  a  few  minutes,  when 
they  began  circling  around  the  wagons.  I  could  see  that 
there  were  two  war  chiefs  with  the  outfit.      I    knew  this 


212  THE   WAR   CHIEF   SWAYED   AND    FELL. 

by  their  dress,  for  a  war  Chief  always  wears  what  is  called 
a  bonnet.  It  is  made  of  feathers  taken  from  the  wings 
and  tails  of  eagles  and  reaches  from  their  head  almost 
to  their  heels. 

When  they  started  to  circle  aroand  the  wagons  I  said 
to  the  boys  who  were  with  me  under  the  wagon,  *'Now, 
you  watch  that  old  red  sinner  who  has  the  lead.  I  am 
going  to  shoot  at  him,  but  I  do  not  know,  as  I  can  hit 
him,  he  is  so  far  away,  but  if  I  can  get  him  we  have  won 
the  battle." 

They  answered,  *  'fire  away,  and  if  you  miss  we  will  try 
our  hand  at  him." 

I  drew  a  bead  at  the  top  of  his  head  and  when  the  gun 
cracked  I  saw  that  I  had  hit  him.  One  of  the  boys 
cried,  **You  have  hit  him,"  and  at  that  moment  he  sway- 
ed and  tumbled  from  his  horse.  The  report  of  my  gun 
seemed  to  be  a  signal  for  the  whole  train  to  fire,  and  for 
the  next  minute  the  noise  of  the  guns  was  terrific.  While 
they  all  did  not  hit  an  Indian,  they  did  fairly  well  for 
men  in  an  Indian  battle  for  the  first  time.  There  were 
forty  two  dead  Indians  left  on  the  grouud,  and  as  the 
report  of  the  last  gun  died  away  the  Indians  turned  their 
horses  and  fled  in  the  opposite  direction,  and  I  run  to  the 
old  Chief  to  get  his  scalp. 

I  had  just  finished  taking  his  scalp  after  taking  his  bon^ 
net  ofi  when  Jim  Bridger  and  quite  a  crowd  of  the  other 
men  came  running  up  to  me.  Jim  said,  **Did  you  do 
that  Will.^"     I  answered,  **I    did,"   and  then    one  of  the 


will's  best  shot.  213 

boys  who  were  with  me  under  the  wagon  said,  **Mr. 
Drannan  sure  shot  him,  for  he  told  us  to  see  him  get 
him,  and  at  the  report  of  his  gun,  Mr.  big  Chief  went  to 
the  Indians  happy  hunting  grounds." 

Jim  slapped  me  on  the  back  and  said,  *  *That  is  the 
best  shot  you  ever  made,  Will,  for  that  bonnet  and  that 
scalp  will  protect  this  train  from  here  to  California  with- 
out another  shot  being  fired.  I  said,  *'You  can  have 
this  bonnet  to  use  for  a  scare  crow,  Jim,  but  be  sure  and 
take  good  care  of  it,  for  I  want  to  keep  it  as  a  memento 
of  this  trip." 

I  then  asked  Jim  if  he  were  going  to  take  the  scalps  off 
of  the  other  dead  Indians.^  He  said,  '  'No,  we  have 
scalps  enough  now  to  protect  the  train  and  that  is  all  we 
want,  besides  we  hav'nt  time;  we  must  go  on  to  our 
camping  ground,  we  have  fifty  or  sixty  miles  to  drive  be- 
fore we  can  camp  for  the  night. " 

As  we  were  pulling  out  I  said  to  the  scouts,  *'We  are 
in  the  Buffalo  country,  and  there  will  be  no  more  trouble 
with  the  Indians;let  us  try  to  get  some  fresh  meat  for  sup- 
per." I  knew  that  we  would  camp  near  a  little  stream 
a  few  miles  from  where  we  had  the  fight,  and  also  that 
it  was  a  great  feeding  ground  for  Buffalo  at  this  time  of 
the  year.  When  we  were  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of 
the  stream,  where  we  were  to  camp  that  night,  we  saw 
that  the  valley  was  covered  with  Buffalo.  I  sent  all  bat 
one  of  the  men  down  a  little  ravine  to  the  valley.  I  told 
them  to  dismount,  and  tie   their  horses  just  before  they 


214  A    SURPRISE    TO    THE   WOMEN    FOLKS. 

got  to  the  valley  and  to  crawl  down  and  each  one  get 
behind  a  tree  at  the  edge  of  the  valley,  and  I  and  the 
other  men,  would  go  around  to  the  head  of  the  valley  and 
scare  the  Buffalo,  and  they  would  run  down  to  where 
they  were  in  hiding,  I  told  the  men,  to  be  sure  and  not 
shoot  until  the  Buffalo  started  to  run,  and  then  to  shoot 
all  they  could  get  with  their  guns,  and  when  they  had 
emptied  them  to  use  their  pistols. 

**Letus  give  the  women  and  children  a  surprise  to- 
night in  giving  them  all  the  fresh  Buffalo  meat  they  can 
eat." 

My  self  and  companion  rode  around  to  the  head  of  the 
valley,  and  when  we  reached  the  top  of  the  ridge  we 
looked  down  and  saw  hundreds  of  Buffalo  feeding.  We 
spured  our  horses  to  a  run,  and  in  a  moment  we  were 
in  the  midst  of  them,  and  it  certainly  was  a  grand  sight 
to  see  that  immense  herd  on  the  stampede,  as  they  all 
rushed  down  to  the  outlet  where  the  boys  were  waiting 
for  them.  In  a  few  moments  we  heard  the  report  oi 
guns,  and  we  knew  that  the  other  boys,  were  getting  the 
meat  for  supper.  I  told  my  comrad  to  pick  out  his  Buf- 
falo, and  I  would  pick  mine,  and  I  said  to  him,  **Now 
don't  shoot  until  you  get  near  the  other  boys,  and  if  you 
want  to  kill  him  quick  shoot  him  through  the  kidneys. " 
When  I  had  reached  the  mouth  of  the  valley  where  the 
Buffalo  had  crowded  together  in  one  big  mass  I  chose  a 
two  year  old  heifer,  rode  up  to  her  side  and  shot  her 
through  her  kidneys,  and  she  fell  at  my  horse's  feet  with 


THE  FRESH  ME^T  TASTED  GOOD  TO  ALL.      21$ 

hardly  a  struggle.  I  pulled  my  pistol  and  shot  another 
one  and  broke  it's  neck.  My  comrad  had  picked  a  big 
cow,  and  she  was  the  fattest  Buffalo  I  ever  saw  killed. 
The  other  boys  had  killed  twelve,  and  we  got  three, 
making  fifteen  in  all,  and  what  was  best  of  all,  the  Buf- 
falo all  lay  near  to  where  Jim  corralled  the  wagons.  As 
the  wagons  were  corralled  I  went  to  one  of  the  committee 
and  told  him  that  my  scouts  and  I  had  killed  fifteen 
Buffalo  and  asked  him  to  send  some  of  the  men  of  the 
train  to  help  dress  them  and  to  divide  the  meat,  so  all 
the  emigrants  could  have  some  fresh  meat  for  their  sup- 
per, and  in  a  short  time,  I  saw  men  and  women  with 
their  arms  full  of  meat  hurrying  to  their  camp  fires. 

Jim  and  I  were  sitting  on  a  wagon  tongue  talking  as 
we  usually  did  every  evening  when  two  little  girls  came 
running  to  us  and  said  their  papa  wanted  us  to  come  and 
eat  supper  with  them.  We  went  with  the  children  to 
their  father's  tent,  and  we  found  an  appetizing  meal 
waiting  for  us.  Jim  and  I  had  not  tasted  any  fresh  meat 
since  starting  out  with  this  train  of  emigrants  at  Green 
river.  When  we  sat  down  Jim  said,  **Lady,  I  am  afraid 
you  will  be  sorry  that  you  invited  Will  and  me  to  supper 
for  you  may  not  have  meat  enough  to  go  around.  We 
have  not  had  any  fresh  meat  in  a  dog's  age,  and  we  are 
big  meat  eaters  any  time."  She  answered,  * 'Oh,  don't 
be  uneasy,  I  have  two  pans  full  on  the  fire  cooking  now. 
I  know  how  much  it  takes  to  fill  up  hungry  men,  and  you 
two  are  not  the  only  hungry  men   around  this  camp,  and 


2l6  'THE   PRETTY   THING." 

you  may  be  sure  we  appreciate  the  feast  you  planned  to 
surprise  us  with;"  and  she  turned  to  me  with  a  smile,  * 'You 
see,  Mr.  Drannan,  the  boys  told  me  all  about  your  suggest- 
ing the  Buffalo  hunt." 

I  answered  that  the  meal  she  had  set  before  us  would 
pay  for  more  than  I  had  done.  Her  husband  said,  **It 
has  surely  been  a  great  benefit  to  all  the  people  of  the 
train,  for  we  were  all  suffering  for  fresh  meat,  and  you 
don't  know  how  much  we  appreciate  your  thoughtfulness 
in  providing  it  for  us." 

As  I  left  the  tent  where  I  had  supper  about  a  dozen 
middle  aged  ladies  came  to  me  and  said,  *'We  would  like 
to  see  that  pretty  thing  you  took  off  that  Indian." 

I  did  not  know  what  they  meant  by  *'A  pretty  thing" 
until  Jim  said,  -^Why,  Will,  they  want  to  see  that  war 
bonnet  you  took  with  the  old  chief's  scalp." 

I  went  to  our  pack  and  got  the  bonnet  and  gave  it  to 
them,  and  for  the  next  two  hours  that  Indian  adornment 
was  the  talk  of  the  camp.  It  was  carried  from  tent  to 
tent,  examined  by  nearly  every  one,  old  and  young  in  the 
whole  emigrant  train,  and  it  was  a  curiosity  to  any  white 
person  and  still  more  so  to  those  not  used  to  the  Indians* 
way  of  adorning  themselves. 

Jim  explained  to  the  emigrants  why  this  piece  of  Ind- 
ian dress  in  our  possession  would  be  a  protection  to  them 
in  case  of  an  attack  on  us  by  the  Indians;  he  said,  **The 
Indians  have  no  fear  of  being  killed  in  battle,  their  great 
dread  is  of  being  scalped,  they  believe  that  if  their  scalps 


'*MY   TKEAT  WILL  OUTDO   HIS."  21/ 

ai*^  taken  off  their  heads  in  this  world,  they  will  not  be 
received  in  the  next  or  what  they  call  the  **Happy  Hunt- 
ing grounds  of  the  Indians,'*  where  they  will  dwell  with 
the  great  spirit  for  ever,  and  if  they  should  see  this  bon- 
net which  none  but  a  great  chief  can  wear  they  will  think 
we  must  be  powerful  to  have  got  it  and  will  keep  away 
from  us,  fea/ing  they  may  share  the  fate  themselves." 

Jim  told  the  emigrants  to  be  ready  for  an  early  start  in 
the  morning,  and  then  we  separated  for  the  night,  the 
emigrants  going  to  their  tents  and  Jim  and  I  to  lay  our 
blankets  under  a  tree. 

Next  morning  after  we  had  a  hearty  breakfast  of  corn- 
bread  and  Buffalo  steak  Jim  said,  *'Now,  men  and  wom- 
en. Will  gave  you  all  a  treat  in  Buffalo  meat  last  night, 
but  if  all  goes  well,  and  we  meet  with  nothing  to  detain 
us  in  one  week  from  tonight  I  will  give  you  a  treat  that 
will  discount  his." 

An  old  lady  answered,  *'You  must  be  mistaken,  Mr. 
Bridger,  for  nothing  could  taste  better  then  the  chunk  of 
meat  I  broiled  over  the  fire  last  night." 

Jim  laughed  and  said,  he  would  own  up  to  the  last 
night's  supper  being  extra  good  but  asked,  how  she  thought 
Mountain  Trout  would  taste.^  She  said,  she  did  not 
know,  as  she  had  never  tasted  any.  Jim  said,  **Well, 
you  will  know  in  a  week  from  tonight,  and  you  will  say 
that  my  treat  is  better  than  Will's,  for  Mountain  trout  is 
the  best  fish  that  ever  swani  in  the  water. " 

We  were  on  the  road  soon  after  sunrise  the  next  morn- 


2l8  SPECKLED    BEAUTIES. 

ingand  everything  went  well  for  the  next  three  days.  The 
third  day's  travel  brought  us  to  Humboldt  Well.  As  we 
were  going  into  camp  I  discovered  a  band  of  Indians 
coming  directly  for  the  train.  I  notified  Jim  at  once, 
and  he  soon  had  the  train  corralled,  and  the  chief's  bonnet 
hung  high  above  the  Indian  scalps  so  all  the  Indians 
could  see  it.  The  savages  seemed  to  discover  the  bonnet 
and  the  scalps  as  soon  as  they  saw  the  train,  for  they 
stopped  and  came  no  nearer,  and  after  gazing  at  the  dec- 
orations on  the  wagons  a  few  moments  they  wheeled 
their  horses  and  galloped  away  in  the  same  direction 
they  had  come,  and  we  saw  no  more  of  them.  As  soon 
as  the  Indians  disappeared  Jim  slapped  his  hands  and 
said,  **Did'nt  I  tell  you  the  effect  that  bonnet  would  have 
on  the  Red  Skins.  And  I  don't  think  we  will  have  to 
shoot  another  Indian  on  this  trip,  for  they  will  not  get 
close  enough  to  us  for  us  to  get  a  show  to  hit  them.** 

The  second  day  from  this  camp  we  reached  Trucky 
river,  and  it  happened  to  be  Saturday,  and  Jim  told  the 
emigrants,  that  this  was  the  place  where  he  proposed 
to  outdo  Will  in  the  way  of  a  treat,  and  told  them  that 
every  one  who  could  catch  a  grass  hopper  could  have  a 
mess  of  fish  for  supper,  as  the  river  was  swarming  with 
the  speckled  beauties,  and  it  was  really  amusing  to  see 
the  old  of  both  sexes  as  well  as  the  children  running  in 
every  direction  catching  the  little  hopping  insects.  Every 
one  seemed  to  be  of  one  mind,  what  they  were  going  to 
have  ior  the  evenmg  meal  for  they  were  all  on  the  margin 


WB   WATCHED   THE   EXCITED   CROWD.  2X9 

of  the  river,  and  Jim  and  I  staid  with  the  wagons  and 
watched  the  crowd  which  was  great  amusement  for  us 
lor  they  were  all  so  excited.  But  our  fun  did  not  last 
long,  in  a  few  minutes  the  crowd  commenced  to  come 
back  with  their  hands  full  of  fish;  one  woman  passed  us 
with  two  little  girls.  She  had  about  a  dozen  fish,  and 
the  children  had  their  hands  full  too.  She  said,  **Come 
Mr.  Bridger,  I  want  you  and  Mr.  Drannan  to  eat  supper 
with  us  tonight,  and  after  we  get  through  I  will  tell  you 
which  treat  is  the  best,  Buffalo  or  Mountain  Trout.'* 

Jim  told  her  she  had'nt  got  half  enough  fish  for  him, 
not  reckoning  the  members  of  her  own  family.  She  said, 
** Don't  you  be  uneasy  about  not  having  enough.  My 
man  will  come  back  in  a  few  minutes,  and  he  will  have 
enough  to  make  out  the  supper,  I  reckon." 

We  went  with  her  to  her  tent  and  helped  to  clean  the 
fish,  and  it  was  not  long  before  the  appetizing  meal  was 
ready.  While  Jim  and  I  were  cleaning  the  fish  that  the 
wo  nan  and  children  had  caught,  the  man  came  back, 
and  he  had  fifteen  of  the  handsomest  trout  I  had  ever 
seen  on  a  string.  He  greeted  us  with  a  laugh  and  said, 
this  was  the  first  stream  he  had  ever  seen  where  a  man 
could  take  a  long  handled  shovel  and  pitch  out  all  the 
fish  he  had  a  mind  to.  **It  is  wonderful  to  think  of  the 
amount  of  fish  that  has  been  taken  out  of  that  stream, 
and  they  would  not  be  missed  if  we  wanted  more. " 

Jim  said,  **If  you  could  stay  here  and  fish  a  week,  they 
would  be  just  as  thick    when   you  get   through,  as  they 


32^  THE   HUNTING   PARTY. 

are  now,  and  will  be  until  the  spawning  season  is  over." 

That  night  Jim  suggested,  that  we  get  up  a  party  and 
go  over  on  Truckee  Meadows  and  kill  some  Antelope,  to- 
morrow. 

I  said,  **A11  right,  Jim,  that  is  the  greatest  feeding 
ground  for  Antelope  of  any  I  have  seen.  I  will  go  and 
speak  to  my  scouts  now,  and  we  may  get  a  party  so  we 
can  start  early  in  the  morning." 

I  hunted  my  men  up  and  told  them  what  Jim  and  I 
thought  of  doing,  and  they  were  delighted  with  the  idea. 
They  said  that  every  man  in  the  outfit  that  owned  ahorse 
and  gun  would  be  glad  to  go  with  us.  I  told  them  to  see 
every  one  that  they  thought  would  like  or  could  go  and 
for  them  to  meet  us  at  the  head  of  the  corral  right  after 
breakfast  in  the  morning. 

Next  morning  Jim  and  I  went  to  the  place  agreed  up- 
on. We  were  mounted  and  had  our  guns  all  ready  for 
business,  and  in  a  few  minutes  there  were  forty  three 
men  all  mounted  and  anxious  to  go  with  us  on  the  huut 
for  Antelope. 

Jim  told  them  that  the  hunting  ground  was  eight  or 
ten  miles  away  from  camp,  and  he  said,  *'I  will  guaran- 
tee that  you  will  see  a  thousand  Antelope  to  day.  Now 
we  will  all  travel  together,  until  we  begin  to  see  the  An- 
telope." 

The  place  called  Truckee  Meadows  was  about  twenty 
miles  long  and  ten  miles  wide  and  very  level  and  cover- 
ed with  the  tallest  sage  brush   in  all  the    country  around 


•'THERE    IS   YOUR   GAME   NOW.  321 

and  with  an  abundance  of  fine  grass.  We  crossed  the 
Truckee  river  just  belaw  where  the  city  ot  Reno  now 
stands,  and  then  we  struck  out  south  east,  Jim  and  I 
taking  the  lead,  and  the  others  following  us. 

When  we  were  about  five  miles  from  camp  I  discover- 
ed a  band  of  Antelope.  They  were  probably  a  half  a 
mile  from  us,  and  they  were  feeding  in  a  north  easterly 
direction.  I  called  Jim's  attention  to  them  at  once. 
After  he  got  a  good  look  at  them,  he  said,  **I  will  bet 
my  old  hat  that  there  is  a  thousand  Antelope  in  that 
band." 

We  stopped  our  horses  and  waited  for  all  the  crowd  to 
come  up  to  us,  and  Jim  pointed  to  the  Antelope,  saying, 
* 'There  is  your  game,  did  you  ever  see  a  prettier  sight.^ 
Now  my  friends  I  want  every  one  of  you  to  have  an  An- 
telope across  your  saddle  when  we  go  back  to  O'^mp.  It 
don't  make  any  difference  who  kills  it  so  we  all  ^ave  an 
Antelope." 

Jim  then  turned  to  me  and  said,  ''Will,  do  you  see 
that  open  ridge  yonder.^"  and  he  pointed  to  a  lo^^r  ridge 
about  a  mile  from  us  right  in  the  direction  towards  "tvhich 
the  Antelope  were  feeding.  I  told  him,  yes,  I  ^aw  it, 
he  then  said,  "I  will  take  all  the  men  but  you  and  two 
others,  and  I  will  station  them  all  along  on  that  Utile 
ridge  at  the  edge  of  sage  brush.  Now,  Will,  you  pick  tut 
your  two  men  and  ride  clear  around  the  south  end  of  Iki 
band  and  when  they  start  to  run  towards  us  cro"^  4 
them  as  hard  as  you  can,  but  give  us  time  to  locate  t  • 


222  OVER    FIFTY   ANTELOPE   WERE    SHOT. 

fore  you  start  the  band. " 

My  men  and  I  rode  probably  a  mile  and  a  half  before 
we  got  around  the  herd,  and  it  looked  to  us  as  if  the 
whole  valley  was  covered  with  Antelope.  I  told  the  men 
not  to  shoot  at  first  but  to  give  a  whoop  or  two  to  get 
them  started  and  then  to  crowd  them  for  all  they  were 
worth,  and  when  the  Antelope  got  to  the  open  ridge  to 
shoot. 

In  a  few  minutes  after  we  started  the  herd  of  Antelope 
we  heard  the  guns  of  Jim  and  his  men,  and  it  sounded 
as  if  they  kept  up  a  continual  fire.  When  we  struck  the 
opening  I  told  the  boys  to  get  all  the  Antelope  they  could 
and  we  had  a  plenty  to  choose  from,  for  there  were  hun- 
dreds in  the  herd  ahead  of  us.  I  fired  my  rifle  and 
knocked  one  down,  and  then  I  pulled  my  pistol  and  got 
another.  Just  then  I  heard  some  one  shouting  at  the 
top  of  his  voice  just  ahead  of  me.  I  looked  to  see  who 
it  was  and  saw  Jim  Bridger,  shaking  his  hat  at  me.  I 
held  up  my  horse  so  I  could  hear  what  he  said.  He 
cried,  ''For  pity's  sake  Will  don't  kill  any  more  Ante- 
lope, for  we  have  more  now  than  we  can  cajry  to 
camp." 

I  called  my  men  to  me,  and  we  rode  to  where  Jim  and 
his  men  were  waiting  for  us.  Jim  said,  **Will,  I  have 
been  in  the  Antelope  country  twenty  years  most  of  the 
time,  and  I  never  saw  so  many  Antelope  together  at  one 
time,  as  I  saw  here  this  morning ;why,  there  must  be  fifty 
or  seventy  five  lading  around  here  at  this  minute,  that  we 


WE  WALKED  BACK  TO  CAMP.  223 

have  shot,  and  you  would  not  miss  them  out  of  the 
herd." 

One  of  the  men  said,  ''It  did  not  need  any  skill  with 
the  rifle,  that  hunt,  for  a  blind  man  could  not  help  hitting 
one  of  them,  for  as  far  as  I  could  see,  there  was  a  mass 
of  Antelope. " 

Every  man  now  went  to  work  skinning  and  getting 
the  meat  ready  to  carry  to  camp.  My  two  companions 
and  myself  put  two  Antelopes  on  each  of  our  horses  and 
started  on  ahead  of  the  others  and  although  it  was  five 
miles,  and  we  walked  all  the  way,  we  got  back  to  camp  a 
few  minutes  before  they  did. 

As  soon  as  they  saw  us  the  women  came  to  meet  us 
and  wanted  to  see  what  we  had  on  our  horses.  As  I 
threw  one  of  the  Antelopes  off  the  horse  a  middle  aged 
woman  said,  **Mr.  Drannan,  can  I  have  a  piece  of  this 
one.*^  My  little  girls  have  just  picked  some  wild  onions, 
and  I  can  make  some  hash,  and  I  want  you  and  Mr. 
Bridger  to  come  and  take  dinner  with  us  today." 

I  told  her  to  help  herself,  that  I  brought  the  meat  to 
camp  for  all  of  them  to  eat  as  far  as  it  would  go.  Her 
husband  came  at  that  moment  with  a  knife  and  skinned 
a  portion  of  the  Antelope  and  cut  out  what  she  wanted. 
By  this  time  the  other  hunters  began  coming  in,  and 
every  one  was  getting  fresh  meat  for  their  dinner,  and  by 
the  way  they  acted  I  thought  they  enjoyed  the  Antelope 
fully  as  well  as  they  did  the  Buffalo. 

While  we  ate  dinner  I  asked  Jim  how  many   Antelope 


224  FIFTY   YEARS   AGO   AND   NOW. 

were  killed  by  the  whole  party.  He  answered.  **Why, 
dog  gone  it,  I  forgot  to  count  them,  but  I  know  this  much, 
pretty  near  all  of  the  men  brought  two  across  his  saddle 
and  I  will  bet  that  it  was  the  biggest  Antelope  hunt  that 
was  ever  in  this  country  before.  Why  Will,  the  Ante- 
lope came  along  so  thick  at  one  time  that  a  man  could 
have  killed  them  with  rocks. " 

If  the  reader  will  stop  to  think  a  moment  I  think  he 
will  be  surprised  at  the  great  change  that  has  taken  place 
in  that  country  in  fifty  years.  At  that  time  there  was 
not  a  white  family  living  within  two  hundred  miles  of 
this  place,  and  if  there  had  been  any  one  brave  enough 
to  tell  us  that  in  a  few  years  this  would  be  a  settled 
country  we  would  have  thought  he  was  insane.  And 
just  think,  this  very  spot  where  the  wild  Antelope  roam- 
ed in  countless  numbers  fifty  five  years  ago  is  today  Ne- 
vada's most  prosperous  farming  country  and  is  worth 
from  fifty  to  one  hundred  dollars  an  acre,  and  the  city  of 
Reno,  now  a  flourishing  town  of  several  thousand  inhab- 
itants stands  on  the  very  spot  where  we  camped  and  had 
the  Antelope  hunt,  and  I  have  been  told  by  reliable  peo- 
ple that  the  whole  country  from  the  city  of  Reno  to 
HonneyLakeis  thickly  settled,  and  that  cities  and  vil- 
lages and  thriving  farms  now  cover  the  ground  where  at 
the  time  I  am  speaking  of  there  was  nothing  but  wild 
animals,  and  what  was  worse  to  contend  with,  wild  sav- 
ages lurking  in  the  thick  sage  brush  which  covered  the 
ground  for  hundreds  of  miles,  and  I  am  also  told  that  the 


A  DISAPPOINTMENT.  22$ 

whole  country  around  Honney  Lake  is  a  thriving  farming 
country,  but  at  the  time  I  am  speaking  of,  we  did  not 
have  an  idea  that  it  would  ever  be  settled  up  with  Whites, 
or  used  for  any  thing  but  a  feeding  ground  for  wild  ani- 
mals. If  we  had  been  told  at  that  time  that  a  railroad 
would  pass  through  the  place  where  the  city  of  Reno  now 
stands  we  would  have  thought  the  one  who  told  us 
such  a  wild,  improbable  story  to  be  a  fit  subject  for  a 
straight  jacket. 

We  pulled  out  of  here  early  Monday  morning;  we  took 
the  trail  up  Long  Valley  towards  Honney  Lake,  which 
we  reached  on  the  evening  of  the  third  day.  Nothing  oc- 
cured  to  disturb  us  during  this  time.  As  soon  as  we 
went  into  camp  that  evening  the  emigrants  got  out  their 
fishing  tackle  and  went  to  the  lake.  Some  of  them 
caught  some  fish,  but  many  of  them  came  back  disap- 
pointed. None  had  the  luck  they  had  at  Truckee  river, 
still  the  most  of  us  had  some  fish  for  supper  that 
night. 

While  we  were  at  supper  Jim  told  the  people  that  they 
were  through  catching  trout.  That  the  next  fish  we  had 
would  be  salmon.  They  said  they  had  never  heard  of 
that  kind  and  asked  what  it  looked  like.  Jim  told  them 
that  the  meat  of  some  kinds  of  salmon  was  as  red  as 
beef,  while  another  kind  was  pink,  and  still  another  kind 
was  yellow,  and  they  were  considered  the  finest  ffsh  tliat 
swim  in  the  water,  and  he  continued,  '*I  have  seen  them 
so  thick  in  the  spring  in  some  of  the  streams   in  Califor- 


226  *:YOU    ARE    SAFE    FROM    NOW   ON.'* 

nia  that  it  was  difficult  to  ride  my  horse  through  them, 
without  mashing  them,  and  they  ran  against  the  horse's 
legs  and  frightened  him  so  that  he  was  as  eager  to  get 
away  from  them  as  they  were  of  him." 

An  old  man  presently  asked,  how  large  a  salmon  usu- 
ally was,  to  which  Jim  answered,  *^Well,  they  run  in 
weight  from  ten  to  fifty  pounds,  but  I  have  seldom  seen 
one  as  small  as  ten  pounds,  and  they  are  very  fat  when 
they  are  going  up  stream  to  spawn,  but  when  they  are 
coming  down  they  are  so  poor  they  can   scarcely  swim." 

We  left  Honney  Lake  in  the  morning,  and  the  third 
day  from  there  we  struck  the  Sacramento  valley,  and  we 
now  told  the  emigrants  that  they  had  no  further  use  for 
our  services,  that  their  road  was  perfectly  safe  from  this 
point  to  Sacramento  city. 

Two  of  the  committee  came  to  us  and  said,  **As  this  is 
Saturday  we  will  camp  here  until  Monday,  and  we  want 
you  two  men  to  stay  with  us,  for  the  women  want  to  fix 
up  something  for  you  to  eat  on  your  way  back." 

Jim  answered,  that  we  would  stay  with  them  over  Sun- 
day and  take  a  rest,  for  we  had  a  long  and  tiresome  jour- 
ney before  us,  but  it  must  be  understood  that  we  did  not 
want  the  women  to  goto  cooking  for  us,  for  all  we  could 
take  with  us  was  a  few  loaves  of  bread,  enough  to  last 
us  a  few  days.  Our  meat  we  could  get  as  we  wanted  it, 
which  would  be  our  principal  food  on  the  trip,  as  it  always 
was  when  we  were  alone . 

Sunday  was  a  very  pleasant,  restful  day  to  us.    All  the 


A   KIND   OFFER.  227 

emigrants  seemed  to  vie  with  each  other  in  being  social. 
Among  the  company  was  a  man  and  wife  by  the  name  of 
Dent;  these  two  came  tons  and  said,  that  they  were  go- 
ing to  make  their  home  in  Sacramento  city,  and  were 
going  into  business  there,  and  they  wanted  us  if  we  ever 
came  there  to  come  to  them  and  make  their  home  ours, 
as  long  as  we  wished  to  stay,  for,  said  they,  ** We  appreci- 
ate what  you  have  done  for  us  on  this  journey  we  have 
passed  through.  Besides  the  protection  you  hare  given  us, 
the  Buffalo  and  Antelope  meat,  you  have  shown  us  how 
to  get  and  have  helped  to  get  has  been  worth  more 
money  to  us  than  all  we  have  paid  you  to  pilot  us  to 
California." 

We  thanked  them  for  their  kind  offer  and  good  opinion 
of  us,  but  disclaimed  having  done  anything  but  our  duty 
by  them. 

Monday  morning  Jim  and  I  were  about  the  first  to  be 
astir.  We  caught  our  hor:jes  and  had  them  saddled  by 
the  time  breakfast  was  ready,  and  we  accepted  the  first 
invitation  offered  us  to  eat.  While  we  were  eating  our 
hostess  said,  she  had  baked  two  loaves  of  bread  for  us  to 
take  with  us,  and  that  she  had  roasted  the  last  piece  of 
Antelope  that  she  had  and  wanted  us  to  take  that  too. 
We  took  the  food  this  lady  had  prepared  for  us,  and 
went  to  our  horses,  but  before  we  reached  them  we  saw 
the  women  coming  from  every  direction  with  bread  and 
cake.  Jim  said,  ''Will,  let's  fill  this  sack  with  bread 
and  cake,  if  they  insist   on  giving  it  to  us,    and  then  get 


228  jiM   WAVED   HIS   HAT. 

away  as  soon  as  possible." 

As  Jim  made  this  remark  it  was  very  amusing  to  see 
how  every  woman  tried  to  get  her  package  in  the  sack 
first,  but  it  would  not  begin  to  hold  half  that  was 
brought.  As  soon  as  the  sack  was  full  Jim  said,  **Now 
ladies,  we  can  take  no  more,  so  be  kind  to  us  in  letting 
us  get  away. " 

By  the  time  we  had  our  pack  fixed  on  our  pack  horses* 
back  every  man  and  woman  and  all  the  children  were 
around  us  to  bid  us  fare  well  and  good  speed  on  our  jour- 
ney back  to  Taos,  New  Mexico. 

We  shook  hands  with  probably  a  hundred  or  more 
when  Jim  sprang  upon  his  horse  all  at  once,  saying,  *  *Now 
friends,  we  will  consider  we  have  all  shaken  hands,"  and 
he  took  off  his  hat,  and  waving  it  to  the  assembled  crowd 
gathered  up  his  reins  and  galloped  away,  and  I  followed 
suit.  But  as  long  as  we  were  in  hearing  distance  we 
could  hear,  **Good  bye,  good  bye,''  floating  on  the  wind. 
As  the  sight  of  the  train  faded  in  the  distance  we  waved 
our  hats  for  the  last  time. 

For  the  next  two  days  everything  went  smoothly  with 
Jim  and  me  which  brought  us  to  Honney  Lake.  The 
night  we  reached  Honney  Lake,  we  camped  in  a  little 
grove  of  timber  near  a  pearling  stream  of  cool,  sparkling 
water  about  a  half  a  mile  south  of  the  trail. 

We  had  ^eaten  our  supper,  and  were  about  to  spread 
our  blankets  and  turn  in  for  the  night,  when  we  heard  a 
dog  bark  close  to  our  camp,  but   it  was   too  dark  to  see 


THE  DOG  TOOK  THB  LEAD.  229 

him.     Jim   said,    *  *Don't  that  beat  any    thing  you  ever 

heard?" 

We  listened  a  moment  and  then  it  was  a  howl,  and 
then  in  a  moment  he  barked  again.  Jim  said,  **You 
stay  in  camp.  Will,  and  I  will  take  my  gun  and  see  what 
is  the  matter. " 

In  a  moment  Jim  called,  **I  see  him."  I  waited  about 
an  hour  before  Jim  came  back  and  was  beginning  to  feel 
anxious  about  him.  When  I  heard  his  footsteps  he  said, 
*  *I  followed  that  dog  nearly  a  mile  and  then  I  found 
the  cause  of  his  howling  and  what  do  you  think  it 
was?" 

I  answered,  **Jim,  I  have  no  idea/'  to  which  he  said, 
*'Well,  I  will  tell  you.  I  found  the  body  of  a  dead  man 
laying  on  his  blanket  just  as  if  he  was  laying  down  to  rest. 
I  did  not  get  near  the  dog,  until  I  had  discovered  the 
body,  and  then  he  was  very  friendly  with  me,  and  came 
and  whined,  and  wagged  his  tail,  as  if  he  knew  me.  I 
looked  all  around,  but  I  could  find  nothing  but  the  body 
laying  on  the  blanket.  I  could  not  see  that  there  had 
been  a  fire,  and  I  saw  no  signs  of  a  horse  or  anything 
else,  and  the  strange  part  of  it  is  that,  although  the  dog 
was  so  friendly  with  me  I  could  not  coax  him  away  from 
the  body  which  I  suppose  was  his  master. '' 

I  asked  Jim,  what  he  thought  it  was  best  to  do.  He 
answered,  **What  can  we  do.  Will?  We  have  no  tools  to 
dig  a  grave  with,  and  the  body  is  laying  among  the  rocks, 
and  I  expect  that   dog  will   stay   beside  it  and  starve  to 


230  FAITHFUL    UNTO  DEATH. 

death." 

* ' Would*nt  it  be  a  good  idea  to  go  to  the  place  in  the 
morning  and  pile  rocks  on  the  body,  to  keep  the  wolves 
and  other  wild  animals  from  eating  it  up.^"  Jim  said, 
**Yes,  we  will  do  that,  and  we  will  shoot  some  jack-rab- 
bits and  leave  them  with  the  dog,  so  he  can  have  some- 
thing to  eat  for  a  few  days  anyhow." 

On  the  way  over  to  the  place  where  the  body  lay  we 
killed  three  rabbits  and  threw  them  to  the  dog,  and  he 
ate  them  as  if  he  was  nearly  starved,  and  I  have  always 
thought  that  his  master  died  of  starvation,  as  he  had  no 
gun  or  pistol  with  which  to  kill  anything  to  eat,  and  Jim 
thought  that  he  must  have  got  lost  from  some  emigrant 
train  and  wandered  around  until  he  was  too  weak  to  go 
farther  and  lay  down  and  died  with  no  one  but  his  faith- 
ful dog  to  watch  over  him  in  his  last  moments. 

We  covered  him  up  with  stones  and  brush,  the  best  we 
could  and  left  him  and  the  poor  dog  together  although  we 
tried  every  way  we  could  to  tempt  the  animal  away.  The 
faithful  dog  would  not  leave  his  master's  body.  After 
trying  persuasion  until  we  saw  it  was  no  use,  Jim  said, 
**Let's  put  a  rope  around  his  neck  and  lead  him  off."  I 
answered,  No,  Jim,  if  he  will  not  be  coaxed  away,  it 
would  not  be  right  to  force  him  to  leave  his  dead  master." 
Jim  said,  **It  seems  too  bad  to  leave  him  to  starve,  but 
you  are  right.  Will,"  and  so  we  left  him,  and  we  never  saw 
him  again. 

Sadd^ne4   with   tb^   experience   of  the  mornings   wq 


FOES   IN   SIGHT.  23 1 

mounted  our  horses  and  struck  for  the  trail.  We  had 
nothing  more  to  disturb  us  for  the  next  three  days.  About 
the  middle  of  the  afternoon  of  the  third  day  we  were 
riding  along  slowly,  talking  about  where  we  should  camp 
that  night  when  Jim  happened  to  look  off  to  the  south, 
and  he  saw  a  band  of  Indians  about  a  mile  from  us,  and 
they  were  coming  directly  towards  us,  but  we  could  not 
tell  whether  they  had  seen  us  or  not.  Jim  said.  ''Let's 
put  spurs  to  our  horses  and  see  if  we  can  get  away  from 
them  Red  devils,  without  a  fight  with  them.'* 

We  put  our  horses  .to  a  run  and  kept  them  going  this 
gate  for  five  or  six  miles,  when  we  came  to  the  top  of  a 
little  ridge,  and  in  looking  back,  we  saw  the  Indians  a- 
bout  a  half  a  mile  in  the  rear  and  coming  as  fast  as  their 
horses  could  carry  them. 

Jim  said,  **Will,  we  are  in  for  it  now,  and  we  must  find 
a  place  where  we  can  defend  ourselves." 

At  that  moment  I  saw  a  little  bunch  of  timber  a  few 
hundred  yards  ahead  of  us.  I  pointed  to  it,  and  said  to 
Jim.  * 'Let's  get  in  there  and  show  them  our  war  bonnet 
and  scalps  and  maybe  that  will  save  us  from  having  a 
fight  with  the  Red  imps." 

Jim  laughed  and  said,  "Why  dog  gone  it  Will,  I  for- 
got all  about  your  war  bonnet.  Sure  that  will  be  the 
very  thing  to  do." 

We  had  reached  the  timber  while  we  talked,  we  now 
dismounted  and  tied  our  hdrses,  and  in  less  time  than  one 
could  think   we  had  the  war  bonnet  and  scalps  dangling 


2  32  ONCE    MORE,    THE    *'WAR   BONNET." 

from  the  trees  all  around  our  horses.  We  had  scarcely 
got  ready  for  them  when  the  Red  Skins  were  in  sight. 
They  raced  around  us  in  a  circle  but  did  not  come  in 
gun  shot  of  us.  They  went  through  this  performance 
a  few  times  and  then  stopped  and  took  a  good  look  at 
our  decorations,  and  then  they  wheeled  their  horses  and 
left  in  the  direction  they  had  come  from  and  that  was  the 
last  we  saw  of  that  bunch  of  Indians. 

We  waited  a  few  minutes  to  be  sure  that  all  was  clear 
and  then  we  mounted  again  and  rode  about  two  miles 
before  we  found  water  so  we  could  camp  for  the  night. 
When  we  were  eating  our  supper  that  night  Jim  said, 
**Will,  I  don't  think  you  realize  what  a  benefit  those 
scalps  and  that  bonnet  is  to  us;  if  I  were  you  I  wonld 
never  part  with  that  bonnet  as  long  as  you  are  in  the 
Indian  country,  this  being  a  Ute  bonnet,  the  commanch- 
es  will  offer  you  all  kinds  of  prices  for  it,  but  if  I  were 
you  I  would  not  sell  it  at  any  price." 

I  answered,  **Jim,  I  am  going  to  keep  that  bonnet  for 
two  reasons.  One  is  for  the  protection  of  my  own  scalp 
and  the  other  is  to  keep  in  rememberance  my  last  trip 
in  company  with  you  as  a  pilot  across  the  plains  to  Calif- 
ornia." 

Jim  looked  at  me  a  moment  and  then  said,  **Will,  you 
don't  pretend  to  say  that  you  will  never  take  any  more 
trips  with  me?" 

I  answered,  *  'Yes  Jim,  I  mean  what  I  say,  this  is  my 
last  trip  as  a  pilot  for  emigrants." 


AN  EXCHANGE  OF  THOUGHTS.  233 

Jim  did  not  answer  for  a  few  moments,  and  then  he 
said,  **Who  will  go  with  me  next  year  Willie?  I  thought 
the  pilot  business  just  suited  you/' 

I  answered,  * 'In  some  respects  I  do  like  it,  and  in  oth- 
ers I  dislike  it  very  much.  You  know  yourself  how  im- 
possible it  is  to  please  everybody.  There  are  so  many 
of  the  people  who  come  from  the  east  that  don't  think 
there  is  any  more  danger  of  the  Indians  than  there  is  of 
the  Whites,  and  you  know  Jim  that  is  the  class  of  peo- 
ple who  will  always  get  us  into  trouble.  See  what  those 
nineteen  smart  alicks  did  for  us  on  this  last  trip.  Do 
you  think  if  they  had  known  any  thing  of  Indian  trickery 
they  would  have  left  our  protection  to  go  hunting  in  the 
very  heart  of  the  Indian  country?  And  if  we  had  not 
been  firm  with  the  rest  of  those  people  the  whole  outfit 
would  have  been  scalped  and  then  we  would  have  had  to 
bear  the  blame.'* 

Jim  answered,  **There  is  more  truth  than  poetry  in  all 
you  say  Will,  but  maybe  you  will  change  your  mind  when 
spring  comes." 

We  had  a  peaceful  night's  sleep  and  pulled  out  on  the 
road  bright  and  early  the  next  morning.  We  left  the 
main  trail  and  took  a  south  east  course  and  crossed  the 
extreme  southern  portion,  of  what  is  now  the  state  of 
Utah.  We  traveled  hundreds  of  miles  in  this  country  with- 
out seeing  a  human  being. 

A  year  ago  I  passed  through  this  same  country  in  a 
comfortable  seat  in  a   railroad  car,    and  it  would  be  dif- 


234  FREE   FROM   CARE. 

ficult  for  me  to  make  the  people  of  this  day  undertand 
the  feelings  that  I  experienced  when  in  looking 
from  the  car  window,  I  saw  the  changes  that  fifty  five 
yards  have  made  in  what  was  a  wild,  rough  wilder- 
ness, inhabited  by  Buffaloes,  Antelopes,  Coyotes  and 
savage  men. 

We  kept  on  through  this  section  of  country  until 
we  struck  the  Colorado  river  which  we  crossed  just 
below  the  mouth  of  Green  river,  and  a  few  days  travel 
brought  us  into  the  north  west  part  of  what  is  now  New 
Mexico. 

The  country  which  is  now  New  Mexico  was  at  the 
time  of  which  I  am  writing  considered  perfectly  worth- 
less. It  is  a  rolling,  hilly  country  with  smooth,  level 
valleys  between  the  hills,  and  is  proving  to  be  very 
fertile,  and  is  settling  as  fast  as  any  part  of  the 
west. 

There  was  nothing  more  to  trouble  us,  and  we  made 
good  progress  on  our  journey,  and  in  ten  days  from  the 
time  we  left  the  Colorado  river  we  reached  Taos,  New 
Mexico  which  was  the  end  of  our  journey,  and  tired  and 
worn  with  the  long  hours  in  the  saddle,  and  the  anxiety 
of  mind  which  we  had  experienced  in  all  the  long  months 
since  we  left  there  in  the  spring,  we  were  glad  to  get  there 
and  rest  a  few  days,  and  to  feel,  that  we  were  free  with 
no  responsibility. 


The  mother  bear  ran  to  the  dead  cub  and  pawed  it  with  her  foot. — P.  271 


CHAPTER  VII. 


We  found  Uncle  Kit  and  his  family  all  well,  and  glad 
to  see  us.  It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  when  we  got 
there,  and  we  spent  the  remainder  of  the  day  and  even- 
ing in  recounting  our  summer's  experience  for  Uncle  Kit's 
benefit  who  was  a  very  interested  listener  to  all  that  had 
befallen  us  since  we  parted  from  him  in  the  spring. 

While  we  ate  supper,  Jim  told  Uncle  Kit  of  the  fight 
with  the  Indians,  in  which  I  killed  the  old  chief  and  took 
his  scalp  and  war  bonnet,  an  account  which  amused  Un- 
cle Kit  very  much,  and  later  in  tha  evening  he  insisted 
on  my  undoing  my  pack  and  showing  the  bonnet  to 
him. 

After  he  had  examined  it,  he  said,  *'Will,  I  always 
knew  that  you  would  make  an  Indian  fighter  since  that 
night  when  you  were  not  fifteen  years  old  and  showed 
such  bravery  in  showing  me  the  two  scalps  of  the  Indians 
you  had  killed  that  morning  all  by  your  self.     But  little 


(217) 


238  **   I    KNEW   MY   BOY   WOULD   BE   BRAVE.** 

did  I  think  that  you  would  have  the  honor  of  killing  a 
Ute  Chief  and  capturing  his  war  bonnet.  There  will  be 
many  times  when  that  bonnet  will  be  as  much  protec- 
tion to  you  as  a  whole  regiment  of  soldiers  would  be," 
and  turning  to  Jim,  Carson  said,  **Bridger,  don't  you 
think  my  Willie  must  have  been  an  apt  pupil  and  does 
me  great  honor  for  the  instruction  I  gave  him?" 

Jim  answered, '  *Yes,  Kit,  I  certainly  do,  and  if  you  had 
seen  him  tested  as  I  have  the  past  summer  you  would  not 
need  to  ask  me  that  question.'' 

Uncle  Kit  patted  me  on  the  back  and  told  Jim  that  he 
did  not  need  to  see  his  boy's  bravery  tested,  for  he  al- 
ways took  it  for  granted  that  Willie  would  stand  any 
test. 

The  next  morning,  Uncle  Kit  and  Bridger  commenced 
to  lay  their  plans  for  the  winter's  trapping.  I  heard  Un- 
cle Kit  say,  * 'Bridger,  we  have  got  to  get  down  to  Bents 
Fort  right  away;  here  it  is  in  the  last  days  of  September, 
and  you  know  that  when  the  fall  of  the  year  comes,  them 
trappers  are  like  a  fish  out  of  water,  and  if  we  don't  get 
to  the  Fort  soon,  Bent  and  Roubidoux  will  fit  them  out 
and  send  them  out  trapping  on  their  own  hooks." 

Jim  answered,  **That  is  true  Kit,  and  the  quicker  we 
go  the  better  it  will  be  for  us." 

On  the  fifth  day  after  we  arrived  at  Taos  from  Califor- 
nia we  were  on  the  road  to  Bent's  Fort  with  twenty  two 
pack  horses  besides  our  saddle  horses.  Uncle  Kit,  my 
old  comrad  Jonnie  West  and  a  Mexican  boy  by  the  name 


*MY  GOD   I   can't   go."  239 

of  Juan  accompanied  us. 

We  reached  Bent's  Fort  in  safety  without  having  any 
trouble  on  the  way.  The  evening  we  got  to  the  Fort  it 
seemed  to  me  that  there  were  more  trappers  than  I  had 
ever  seen  together  at  one  time  before,  and  they  all  hud- 
dled around  Carson  and  Bridger.  Uncle  Kit  told  them 
all  that  he  would  talk  business  with  them  in  the  morning. 
When  supper  was  ready  that  evening  Col.  Bent  invited 
all  of  us  to  take  supper  with  him.  We  accepted  the  in- 
vitation, and  while  we  were  at  the  table,  a  runner  came 
with  a  note  to  Uncle  Kit  from  Capt.  McKee,  asking  Car- 
son to  send  all  the  men  he  could  muster  to  join  him  at 
Rocky  Ford  to  escort  a  government  train  to  Santa  Fe, 
New  Mexico. 

According  to  the  Capt's.  note  Carson  had  only  twenty 
four  hours  to  gather  his  men  and  get  to  Rocky  Ford. 
When  Uncle  Kit  read  the  note  so  unexpectedly  brought 
him,  it  seemed  to  upset  and  confuse  him.  He  said,  "My 
God,  I  can't  go,"  and  then  he  read  the  note  aloud. 
When  he  had  finished  reading.  Col.  Bent  said,  * 'I  will 
go  out  and  see  how  many  men  will  volunteer  to  go." 
After  Col.  Bent  left  the  room  Uncle  Kit  said  to  me, 
* 'Willie  will  you  take  charge  of  the  men,  if  Col  Bent  can 
raise  a  company?  I  know  you  can  handle  them  as  well 
as  I  could." 

I  answered,  *'Yes  sir,  I  will  do  any  thing  you  think  is 
best." 

In  a  short  time  Col.  Bent  came  back  and  said^  he  had 


240  IN    DUTY    BOUND. 

found  twenty  seven  men  who  were  willing  to  go,  and  that 
every  man  had  his  own  horse  and  a  gun  and  a  pistol/ 'but 
who  will  take  the  command  of  the  company?  Do  you 
intend  to  go  yourself  Carson?'* 

Uncle  Kit  said,  **No,  I  do  not,  but  Willie  here,"  and 
he  touched  my  shoulder,  **will  take  my  place  and  do  as 
well  as  I  could.'' 

Col.  Bent  said,  *  *  Well  come  with  me  Will,  and  I  will 
introduce  you  to  your  men." 

When  we  went  outside  all  the  twenty  seven  men  were 
there  waiting  for  us.  Col.  Bent  said  to  them,  **Now, 
gentlemen,  I  have  brought  you  a  leader  in  Mr.  William 
Drannan,  he  will  have  charge  of  you  until  you  reach 
Rocky  Ford." 

I  then  told  the  men  to  furnish  themselves  with  four 
day's  ration  and  also  to  take  blankets  to  use  at  night,  and 
to  be  ready  to  take  the  trail  at  sun  rise  in  the  morning. 
They  all  promised  to  be  ready  at  the  time  I  specified,  and 
we  separated  for  the  night. 

I  found  Uncle  Kit  in  the  dining  room  writing  a  letter  to 
Capt.  McKee.  He  gave  the  letter  to  me  saying,  **Give 
this  letter  to  Capt.  McKee,  and  if  you  want  to  go  to 
Santa  Fe  with  him,  do  so,  or  if  you  had  rather  be  with 
me,  you  will  find  Jim  and  me  on  the.  Cache-La- Poudre; 
just  suit  yourself  Willie,  in  regard  to  this  matter,  and  I 
shall  be  satisfied. " 

The  next  morning  we  were  up  and  on  the  road  by  the 
time  the  sun  was  up.     We  rode  hard  until  about    eleven 


**I    SALUTED    THE    CAPTAIN.'*  24I 

o'clock  when  we  dismounted,  staked  our  horses  out  to 
grass  and  ate  our  luncheon.  We  let  our  horses  feed  about 
an  hour,  and  then  we  mounted  and  were  on  the  road 
again.  A  little  before  sunset  we  came  in  sight  of  Rocky 
Ford.  As  soon  as  I  saw  where  we  were  I  pointed  it  out 
to  the  boys,  and  said,  *  'There  is  Rocky  Ford,  and  we  are 
ahead  of  time." 

We  had  ridden  but  a  short  distance  when  one  of  the 
boys  remarked,  ''We  are  not  much  in  the  lead  for  there 
comes  Capt.  McKee's  company  just  across  the  river,'' 
and  as  we  reached  the  Ford  Capt.  McKee  and  his  men 
were  crossing.  So  we  both  met  on  time.  I  had  never  met 
Capt.  McKee,  but  knew  him  from  the  fact  that  he  was 
in  the  lead  of  his  men. 

I  rode  up  to  him  and  saluted  and  asked  if  this  was 
Capt.  MeKee  ?  He  said,  it  was.  I  told  my  name  at  the 
same  time  I  gave  him  Carson's  letter. 

He  read  the  letter  and  then  said,  "Let  us  go  into 
camp,  my  men  and  horses  are  tired,  and  we  will  talk 
business  after  we  have  had  supper. " 

We  rode  perhaps  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  Ford 
where  we  could  get  plenty  of  sage  brush  to  make  fires, 
dismounted  and  staked  our  horses  out  to  grass,  and  it 
was  not  long  until  our  meal  was  ready  to  eat.  As  soon  as 
the  meal  was  over  the  Captain  came  to  me  and  inquired 
if  I  had  ever  been  over  this  country  before.  I  told  him 
I  had  a  number  of  times.  He  said:  "I  am  a  stranger 
in  this   country;   will  you   please   tell   me   where    the 


242    **THE  COMANCHES  LOVE  AND  TRUST  mE." 

main  body  of  the  Comanches  are  at  this  time  of  the 
year?" 

I  told  him  that  the  main  body  of  the  Comanche  tribe 
was  at  least  a  hundred  miles  down  the  river 

**They  go  down  thereto  shoot  the  Buffalo  as  they  cross 
the  river  on  their  winter's  feeding  ground.  You  will 
find  the  Indians  very  numerous  all  through  that  part  of 
the  country,  some  times  there  are  from  two  to  three 
hundred  wigwams  in  one  village,  and  the  Indians  will 
stay  there  for  nearly  a  month  yet  before  they  go  farther 
south." 

The  Capt.  then  asked  if  I  was  acquainted  with  any  of 
the  Comanche  Chiefs.  I  told  him  that  I  was,  and  that 
I  had  traded  with  pretty  near  all  of  them." 

*  *The  Comanches  are  all  great  friends  with  Kit  Carson, 
and  as  I  have  visited  them  and  traded  with  them  in 
company  with  him,  they  extend  their  friendship  to 
me. 

The  Capt.  thought  a  moment  and  then  said,  **Iam 
mighty  afraid  that  we  are  going  to  have  trouble  with  the 
Comanches  from  the  fact  that  that  Government  train  is 
at  least  two  hundred  miles  from  here,  and  there  are  forty 
wagons  in  it,  and  they  have  no  escort,  only  their 
drivers  and  herders,  and  I  am  weak  myself;  you  see  I 
have  only  twenty  men  with  me.  Five  days  before  I  re- 
ceived this  order  I  sent  all  of  my  men,  except  the  twenty 
with  me,  to  Fort  Worth,  Texas  to  protect  the  settlers  in 
that  country  as  the  Comanches  are  on  the  war  path  there, 


THE   captain's   I^ORffDULITY.  243 

and  the  few  men  we  have  with  us  now  will  not  be  as 
much  as  a  drop  in  a  bucket  JxS  far  as  protecting  the  train 
is  concerned,  if  the  Comanches  attack  it.'* 

I  answered:  *'  Captain,  if  we  can  reach  the  train  before 
the  Indians  do,  I  believe  we  can  get  the  train  through 
to  Santa  Fe  without  firing  a  gun. " 

This  seemed  to  surprise  him,  for  he  looked  at  me  as 
though  I  was  insane  in  making  such  a  remark,  and  said: 
**What  do  you  mean,  young  man  .?" 

I  answered:  *'Capt.  McKee,  all  the  Comanche  tribe 
know  me,  and  they  also  know  that  I  have  for  severaf 
years  been  closely  associated  with  Kit  Carson,  and  they 
think  that  all  Kit  Carson  does  or  says  is  right,  for  they 
both  love  him  and  fear  him,  and  they  have  the  same 
feeling  for  the  boy  Carson  raised,  and  furthermore  I  have 
in  this  pack,"  and  I  pointed  to  my  pack  which  was  lay- 
ing on  the  ground  near  me,  **more  protection,  in  my 
estimation,  than  a  hundred  soldiers  would  be  to  the 
train.'' 

He  said:  ** Explain  what  you  mean,  for  I  do  not  un- 
derstand." 

I  then  unrolled  my  pack  and  taking  out  the  Indian 
scalps  and  the  Ute  Chiefs  war  bonnet  I  showed  them  to 
him,  and  told  him  how  I  had  used  them  to  protect  an 
emigrant  train  when  I  only  had  twelve  men  to  help  me 
that  were  of  any  use  in  a  fight  with  the  Indians. 

I  said,  *'Now,  Captain,  you  must  know  that  the  Indians 
have  no  fear  of  death,  but  they  do  dread  to  lose  theif 


244         SATISFACTORY  ARRANGEMENTS. 

scalps  after  they  are  killed,  as  they  think  there  will  be 
no  chance  for  a  scalpless  Indian  to  enter  the  Happy 
Hunting  ground.  So  if  we  reach  the  train  before  the 
Indians  get  there  and  fear  they  will  attack  it  when  they 
do,  all  we  have  to  do  is  to  hang  these  scalps  up  in  a 
prominent  place  and  put  the  Chief's  war  bonnet  high 
above  them  all,  and  there  will  be  no  need  of  a  fighter 
chance  for  one,  for  the  Indians  will  not  come  near  enough 
to  be  shot  at,  for  they  will  fear  that  they  will  share  the 
same  fate  that  befell  the  Indians  that  these  scalps  be- 
longed to. " 

Capt.  McKee  then  asked  me  if  I  were  willing  to  go  on 
and  assist  him  in  this  way  until  the  train  reached  Santa 
Fe,  and  he  said,  **I  am  quite  sure  your  plan  in  using  the 
scalps  and  bonnet  for  protection  with  the  Indians  will 
prove  a  success,  for  I  know  how  superstitious  the 
Indians  are  about  being  scalped,  and  I  am  also  sure 
that  we  have  not  sufficient  men  to  save  the  train  from 
the  Indians  without  some  other  means  is  used." 

I  then  asked  the  Capt.  who  would  pay  me  and  my 
men  for  our  time  if  we  went  with  him.  His  answer 
was,  **The  Government  pays  me  and  will  pay  you,  and 
the  men  with  you,  and  if  we  have  a  chance  to  test  your 
plan  and  it  proves  a  success,  I  will  see  that  you  have 
double  pay." 

Every  thing  being  understood  and  arranged  to  the  sat- 
isfaction of  all  hands  we  separated  and  turned  in  for  the 
night. 


THE    LAUGH    WAS    ON    WILL.  245 

Next  morning  we  were  all  up  in  good  season  and  got 
an  early  start  on  the  road. 

Late  that  evening  just  before  we  went  into  camp  we 
saw  a  few  Buffalo  feeding  near  the  river.  I  asked  the 
Capt.  where  he  was  going  to  camp  that  night?  He 
pointed  to  a  little  ravine  about  a  half  a  mile  from  us, 
and  answering,  *'We  will  camp  on  that  ravine/*  I  said, 
**Take  my  pack  on  your  saddle  in  front  of  you,  and  I  will 
kill  a  calf  for  supper." 

He  took  my  pack,  saying,  **A11  right,  we  surely  will 
enjoy  some  fresh  meat,"  and  the  company  moved  on  and 
I  struck  out  to  kill  the  Buffalo.  I  rode  around  the  herd 
so  if  they  became  frightened  they  would  run  towards  the 
place  where  we  were  to  camp,  They  saw  me  before  I 
had  got  in  gun  shot  of  them  and  started  to  run  directly 
towards  where  the  Capt.  had  gone  into  camp. 

As  soon  as  I  saw  thedirection  they  were  taking,  I  com- 
menced to  shout  to  the  men  at  the  camp  to  look  out,  for 
the  Buffalo  were  coming,  and  they  did  not  get  the  news 
any  too  quick  before  the  Buffaloes  were  there.  The  men 
grabbed  their  guns  and  commenced  shooting,  and  that 
was  all  that  saved  the  camp  from  being  overrun  with 
Buffalo.  They  shot  down  three  calves  and  two  heifers 
right  in  camp. 

The  boys  had  the  laugh  on  me  for  several  days.  When 
anything  was  said  about  getting  fresh  meat,  some  of  them 
would  say,  **Will  can  go  and  drive  it  into  camp,  and  we 
will  shoot  it,"  and  the   Capt.    would  laugh   and  say.  he 


246  **SOME    OF    OUR    NEIGHBORS." 

reckoned  that  was  a  good  way  to  save  me   from  packing 
it. 

I  do  not  think  I  ever  saw  men  enjoy  a  meal  more  than 
these  did  that  night.  We  had  all  ridden  hard  that  day, 
and  had  only  a  light  lunch  at  midday,  so  we  were  all 
very  hungry  and  young  and  hearty  and  just  at  the  time 
of  life  when  food  tastes  best,  and  every  one  of  us  knew 
how  to  broil  Buffalo  meat  over  sage  brush  fire. 

The  next  morning  the  Capt.  told  the  men  to  all  cut 
enough  meat  from  the  Buffaloes  to  last  until  the  next  day 
and  to  put  it  in  their  pack,  for,  he  said,  **We  may  not 
meet  with  as  good  luck  again  as  we  did  today,  and  if 
we  take  the  meat  with  us  we  will  be  provided  for  any- 
way." 

We  were  on  the  road  early  in  the  morning  and  travel- 
ed without  stopping  until  noon,  and  we  saw  numerous 
small  bands  of  Buffalo  all  along  the  way.  We  stopped 
on  the  bank  of  a  little  pearling  stream  of  cold  water, 
where  there  was  plenty  of  grass  for  the  horses,  and  ate 
our  luncheon  and  rested  about  an  hour.  We  were  about 
ready  to  continue  our  journey  when  I  discovered  a  small 
band  of  Indians  coming  up  the  trail. 

I  sang  out  to  the  Capt.  **There  come  some  of  our 
neighbors.*'  He  looked  at  them  and  said,  **Boys,  mount 
your  horses,  and  be  ready,  for  we  are  going  to  have  fun 
right  here."  I  said,  **Holdon  Capt.  and  let  me  see  if  I 
can't  settle  this  thing  without  a  fight.  '*  He  said,  *  'How 
will  you  do  it?"     I  said,  **I  believe  I  know  all  those  Ind- 


*'I    AM    NOT    AFRAID    TO   GO.  247 

ians,  but  I  will  ride  down  and  meet  them  and  see,  and  if 
I  am  acquainted  with  them  we  will  have  no  trouble  with 
them." 

Capt.  McKee  said,  ** Won't  you  be  taking  a  desperate 
chance,  Mr.  Drannan,  in  going  to  meet  those  savages 
when  you  are  not  sure  whether  you  know  them  or  not.^" 
I  said,  **I  am  not  afraid  to  go  to  meet  them,  but  if  any 
thing  is  wrong,  I  will  signal  to  you  by  raising  my  hat, 
and  if  I  do  so  you  must  charge  at  once  but  if  I  give  no  sig- 
nal you  may  be  sure  everything  is  all  right." 

I  started  my  horse  at  full  speed  down  the  narrow  val- 
ley to  meet  the  approaching  Indian  band.  When  I  was 
within  a  hundred  yards  of  them  they  recognized  me,  and 
they  all  began  crying,  **Hi-yar-hi-yar,"  which  translated 
into  English  means,  *'How  do-yo-do,  "and  in  a  few  min- 
utes, they  were  all  swarming  around  me,  each  one  trying 
to  shake  my  hand  first.  I  shook  hands  with  all,  and  I 
then  asked  them  where  they  were  going.  The  Chief 
told  me  that  they  were  going  to  their  village,  which  was 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  We  had  passed  their 
village  a  few  hours  before  but  owing  to  the  timber  being 
so  thick  we  did  not  notice  it.  They  wanted  to  know 
when  I  was  coming  to  trade  for  Buffalo  robes  with  them. 
I  told  them,  I  would  come  in  four  months.  This  seemed 
to  please  them  well,  and  they  said  they  would  have  a 
plenty  of  robes  to  trade  for  knives  and  rings    and  beads. 

I  rode  back  with  my  Indian  friends  to  the  camp.  On 
the  way  I  told  the  chief  where  I  was  going,  and  that  the 


248  '*HOW   DID   YOU   DO   IT?'* 

white  men  he  saw  in  the  camp  were  my  friends  and  were 
going  with  me.  Not  knowing  any  of  the  men  in  the  camp, 
the  Indians  passed  on  without  stopping,  as  is  their  cus- 
tom when  they  are  not  on  the  war  path. 

When  the  last  Indian  had  passed  the  camp,  Capt.  Mc- 
Kee  ordered  the  men  to  mount,  and  we  continued  our 
journey. 

When  we  were  under  way  the  Capt.  rode  to  my  side 
and  said,  **Mr.  Drannan,  will  you  tell  me  how  it  is  that 
you  have  such  a  control  over  those  Indians.^  Why,  I 
would  not  have  ridden  to  meet  that  savage  band  for  any 
thing  that  you  could  have  offered  me,  for  I  should  have 
considered  doing  such  a  thing  equal  to  committing  suicide, 
and  I  know  I  should  not  have  come  out  alive." 

I  said,  "Very  true,  Capt.  I  don't  think  you  would.  But 
there  is  this  difference  between  your  going  to  meet  them 
and  my  doing  so.  You  are  a  stranger  to  them,  and  a 
member  of  the  white  race  which  they  hate.  They,  not 
knowing  who  you  are,  are  suspicious  of  your  being  on 
their  hunting  grounds,  but  in  my  easel  have  known  them 
all  for  years,  and  have  accompanied  them  many  times 
to  their  village.  Whom  they  trust,  although  he  be  a**pale 
face,  they  have  confidence  in,  as  they  have  in  me. 
So  they  are  all  my  friends  and  when  I  told  the  Chief  that 
you  and  all  the  company  were  my  friends  and  were  going 
with  me,  he  or  any  of  his  braves  had  no  wish  to  trouble 
you." 

Capt.  McKee  looked  at  me  as  if  he  thought  me  some- 


THE   MEN    WERE    DISCOURAGED.  249 

thing  hardly  human  while  I  explained  why  I  was  not 
afraid  of  the  Indians  who  had  just  passed,  and  in  a  mom- 
ent after  I  had  ceased  speaking  he  said,  *'Can  you  con- 
trol all  of  the  Comanche  tribe  the  same  as  you  did  the 
band  which  has  just  passed   us?"  1  answered    *'I  cer- 

tainly think  I  can  if  I  have  my  way  about  it."  He  ans- 
wered, *'If  that  is  so  the  United  States  Government  will 
be  under  great  obligation  to  you."  **The  obligation  is 
nothing  to  me  Capt.,but  if  the  men  will  obey  my  instruc- 
tion I  think  I  can  pilot  the  train  through  to  Santa  Fe 
without  their  having  to  fire  a  shot,"  I  replied.  The  Capt. 
said,  **I  am  not  acquainted  with  the  wagon  master,  so  I 
can  not  say  what  he  will  do,  but  I  will  give  you  my  word 
that  my  men  will  do  as  you  instruct  them,  and  as  soon 
as  we  meet  the  train  I  will  have  a  talk  with  the  wagon 
master  and  try  to  influence  him  to  submit  to  being  dir- 
ected by  you." 

The  third  day  from  this  place  we  met  the  train  at  a 
place  called  Horse  Shoe  Bend.  We  saw  a  number  of 
bands  ol  Indians  and  passed  several  Indian  villages  on 
the  way,  but  we  did  not  come  into  contact  with  any  oi 
them.  The  train  was  just  corralling  for  the  night  when 
we  met  them,  and  the  most  discouraged  acting  men  I  ever 
saw  were  in  that  train.  The  wagon  master  told  us  that 
the  Indians  had  attacked  the  train  the  day  before  and 
killed  five  of  his  men,  and  he  said,  **If  this  had  been  any 
thing  but  a  Government  train  I  should  have  turned 
around  and  gone  back,    and  Capt. ,  you  hav'nt  half  men 


2 so  **l   WILL   RIDK   OUT   ALONE." 

enough  to  protect  this  train  through  the  Comanche  coun* 
try;  we  have  just  struck  the  edge  of  it,  and  the  Com- 
anches  are  the  largest  and  most  hostile  tribe  in  the  west, 
and  you  see  that  I  lost  five  of  my  herders  in  the  Kiowa 
country,  and  they  are  a  small  tribe  beside  the  Coman- 
ches." 

Capt.  McKee  then  told  the  wagon  master  what  he  had 
seen  me  do  with  a  band  of  Comanche  warriors,  and  also 
told  him  what  I  said  I  could  do  for  the  train  if  I  had  the 
control  of  the  men,  and  they  would  obey  me. " 

The  wagon  master  turned  and  looked  at  me  a  moment 
as  if  he  was  measuring  me  and  then  said,  **  Young  man, 
do  you  pretend  to  say  that  you  know  all  of  the  Coman- 
che tribe.?" 

I  answered,  *'No  sir,  I  do  not  know  them  all,  but  they 
all  know  me,  and  there  are  hundreds  of  them  that  are 
particular  friends  of  mine,  and  if  you  are  acquainted  with 
the  Indian  character  you  know  that  when  an  Indian  pro- 
fesses to  be  a  friend  he  is  a  friend  indeed,  and  there  is  no 
limit  to  what  he  will  do  for  you. " 

He  then  asked,  how  I  proposed  to  handle  the  train 
and  the  men,  I  answered,  **I  want  the  men  to  ride  beside 
the  wagons,  and  in  the  rear  of  them  with  a  half  a  dozen 
just  a  little  ahead  of  the  teams,  and  I  will  ride  alone 
from  a  quarter  to  a  half  a  mile  ahead,  and  if  the  men  in 
the  rear  or  those  on  the  side  see  any  Indians  advancing 
on  the  train  I  want  them  to  notify  me  at  once,  for  I  want 
to  talk  with  the  Indians  before   they  get  to  the  train,  no 


will's  plans  are  accepted.  251 

matter  whether  there  are  a  few  or  many  of  them." 

The  wagon  master  said,  **I  don't  see  anything  to  find 
fault  with  your  plans,"  and  turning  to  McKee  he  asked 
what  he  thought  of  the  arrangement.  Capt.  McKee  an- 
swered, **A11  that  I  find  fault  with  is  the  desperate 
chances  Mr.  Drannan  will  take  in  going  out  to  meet  the 
savages  all  by  himself,"  I  said,  **Capt.  there  is  where 
you  make  a  mistake.  My  safety  lies  in  my  going  out  to 
meet  the  Indians  alone  and  I  will  assure  you  and  the 
other  gentlemen  that  there  will  not  be  a  gun  fired  if 
I  can  get  to  the  Indians  before  they  get  to  the  train." 

At  this  moment  the  cook  said,  supper  was  ready,  and 
it  did  not  take  long  for  me  at  least  to  get  to  eating  it  for 
I  was  very  hungry. 

The  wagon  master,  the  Capt.  and  I  messed  together. 
The  Capt.  asked  me  what  I  thought  about  putting  out 
picket  guards  that  night.  I  told  him  that  I  did  not  think 
it  necessary  to  night,  but  further  on  the  road  it  might  be 
advisable. 

We  had  a  quiet  night's  rest  and  every  body  seemed 
cheerful  in  the  morning,  and  we  were  on  the  road  quite 
early.  Before  we  started  I  asked  the  wagon  master  how 
many  miles  he  traveled  in  a  day,  and  if  he  stopped  at 
noon.  He  answered  that  he  was  four  or  five  days  be- 
hind time  now,  and  would  like  to  make  twenty  miles  a 
day,  if  he  could,  and  he  thought  it  would  not  be  advisa- 
ble to  stop  at  noon  while  we  were  in  the  Comanche  coun- 
try, but  when  we   got   clear  of  the  Indians  probably  he 


252  THE    SQUAWS    RUN    TOWARDS    ME. 

would  lay  over  a   day  or  two,  and  let  the  teams  have  a 
rest. 

Every  thing  moved  on  pleasantly  all  that  day.  We 
did  not  see  an  Indian,  but  towards  evening  we  saw  large 
bands  of  Buffalo  all  going  south.  That  night  when  we 
had  got  settled  into  camp  I  told  the  Capt.  that  I  would 
take  a  ride  five  or  six  miles  up  the  valley  and  see  if  I 
could  find  any  Indians'  village  or  see  any  Indians  and  for 
them  not  to  be  uneasy  about  me  or  look  for  me  until  they 
saw  me- 

I  had  ridden  perhaps  three  miles  when  I  saw  a  large 
band  of  Indians  just  going  into  camp.  They  were  about 
a  half  a  mile  from  our  trail  right  on  the  bank  of  the  Ark- 
ansas river.  I  knew  that  they  were  a  hunting  party  be- 
cause their  squaws  and  pappooses  were  with  them  which 
is  never  the  case  if  the  warriors  are  on  the  war  path. 

I  rode  down  among  them,  and  as  soon  as  the  squaws 
saw  me  they  commenced  to  cry,  ^'Hi-yar-hi-yar,"  and 
ran  to  me  with  extended  hands,  and  they  all  asked  to- 
gether if  I  had  come  to  trade  rings  and  beads.  When  I 
told  them  that  I  would  come  again  in  four  months,  and 
trade  with  them  they  laughed  and  said  in  their  own 
language  that  they  would  have  many  Buffalo  robes  ready 
to  trade  with  me.  As  I  was  talking  with  the  squaws,  an 
Indian  came  to  me,  one  that  I  had  known  for  quite  a 
while  and  invited  me  to  his  wigwam  to  take  supper  with 
him  and  stay  all  night.  I  explained  to  him  that  I  could 
not  accept  his  invitation  that  time  and  told   him  what  I 


"THE   TRAIN    MAY    PASS   THE   INDIANS    SAFELY?**    353 

was  doing,  and  where  I  was  going,  but  that  I  would  re- 
turn in  four  months  and  would  bring  a  plenty  of  knives 
and  rings  and  beads  to  trade  for  Buffalo  robes." 

This  seemed  to  please  him  very  much. 

I  bid  them  all  good  bye  and  went  back  to  camp.  It 
was  rather  late  and  supper  was  over,  but  the  cook  had 
saved  some  for  me.  While  I  was  eating,  Capt.  McKee 
and  the  wagon  master  came  to  see  me.  The  Capt.  ask- 
ed what  I  had  seen  while  I  was  gone.  I  said,  **Capt.  I 
saw  enough  Indian  squaws  to  keep  me  shaking  hands  for 
twenty  minutes,  and  besides  the  squaws  I  saw  four  or 
five  hundred  warriors  and  shook  hands  with  a  good  many 
of  them  and  was  invited  to  eat  supper  and  pass  the  night 
with  one  of  the  Chiefs,  but  I  declined  to  do  either,  al- 
though I  would  have  been  more  than  welcome." 

The  Capt.  asked  where  the  Indians  were,  and  I  told 
him.  He  asked  how  far  from  our  trail  their  village  was. 
I  told  him  between  half  and  a  quarter  of  a  mile.  He 
said,  **Have  we  got  to  pass  in  full  view  of  that  Indian 
village?"  I  answered,  ''Yes,  sir,  that  is  the  only  road 
that  leads  from  here  to  Santa  Fe. "  *'And  do  you  believe 
that  we  can  pass  them  in  the  morning,  without  being 
attacked  by  them?"  he  asked.  I  said,  *'Capt.  if  the  men 
will  obey  my  instructions,  there  will  be  no  danger  when 
we  strike  out  in  the  morning.  We  will  all  travel  in  the 
same  order  as  we  did  to  day,  except  that  I  shall  not  ride 
so  far  in  advance  of  the  train,  and  if  the  Indians  start 
to  come  towards  the  train  I  will  ride  out  and  meet  them, 


154  A   WHITE    BUFFALO   SKIN. 

and  the  train  must  keep  right  on,  as  if  nothing  had  oc- 
cured,  and  I  will  hold  the  Indians  until  the  train  is  out 
of  sight,  and  then  I  will  leave  them    and  overtake  you. " 

The  Capt.  said,  **A1I  right  Mr.  Drannan,  we  will  do 
as  you  have  directed,  and  if  you  succeed  in  this  venture, 
I  shall  know  that  you  have  the  control  over  the  Indians 
that  you  thought  you  had." 

The  wagon  master  said,  that  he  would  not  feel  very 
easy,  until  we  had  passed  and  were  out  of  sight  of  the 
Indians  and  their  village,  and  I  believe  he  spoke  the 
truth,  for  he  was  up  and  had  every  thing  ready,  we 
were  on  the  road  by  sunrise.  When  we  were  nearly 
opposite  the  Indian  village  the  squaws  discovered  us  and 
came  running  towards  us  in  droves.  I  rode  out  and  met 
them,  and  had  a  general  hand  shaking  with  them,  and 
they  wanted  me  to  assure  them  that  I  was  coming  in  four 
months  to  trade  with  them  and  wanted  me  to  go  and 
look  at  some  of  the  robes  they  had  dressed,  which  I  did, 
and  in  doing  so,  I  saw  something  that  I  had  never  seen 
before  nor  have  I  since.  It  was  a  white  Buffalo  skin,  and 
the  animal  must  have  been  a  half  grown  cow  judging 
from  the  size  of  the  skin.  It  was  the  prettiest  thing  of 
the  kind  that  I  had  ever  seen,  or  ever  have  since.  When 
I  was  looking  at  the  beautiful  thing,  I  asked  the  Indian, 
that  I  thought  it  belonged  to,  how  much  he  would  take 
for  it.  He  said,  it  was  not  his,  that  it  was  his  squaw's. 
I  asked  her  what  her  price  would  be,  and  she  answered, 
**One  string:  of  beads."     I  told  her  to  save  it  for  me  and 


THE    WAGON    MASTER    FELT    UNEASY.  2$ 5 

(n  four  months  I  would  come  back  and  bring  the  beads 
to  her  and  take  the  robe.  I  was  so  interested  in  looking 
at  the  robes  and  talking  with  the  Indians  that  time  pass- 
ed without  notice,  and  the  first  thing  I  thought  about  it, 
in  looking  at  my  watch  I  found  it  was  nearly  noon.  I 
now  bid  the  Indians  good  bye,  mounted  my  horse  and 
started  to  overtake  the  train.  When  I  caught  up  with 
them,  I  found  that  the  Capt.  was  feeling  very  uneasy 
about  me,  and  the  wagon  master  thought  the  Indians 
had  taken  me  captive. 

When  I  rode  to  the  Capt's.  side  he  said,  ''This settles 
it.  I  have  been  fighting  the  Indians  for  several  years, 
and  I  must  admit  now  that  I  don't  know  anything  about 
them,  and  I  will  confess  that  I  was  like  *-the  Missouri;"  I 
had  to  be  shown  before  I  believed.  But  having  seen 
like  them  I  am  satisfied  that  you  knew  what  you  were 
talking  about.  After  the  experience  of  this  morning  I 
cannot  doubt  that  through  your  friendship  with  the  Red 
skins  we  shall  get  through  to  Santa  Fe  in  safety  without 
having  any  trouble  with  them." 

That  evening  when  we  went  into  camp  the  Capt.  and 
the  wagon  master  came  to  me.  The  Capt.  said,  **Mr. 
Drannan,  you  are  so  well  acquainted  with  the  Comanche 
Indians,  perhaps  you  can  tell  us,  where  we  shall  pass 
their  main  village  and  where  the  Indians  are  likely  to  be 
the  most  numerous."  I  answered,  **This  is  an  unusualy 
late  fall,  and  the  Buffalo  are  as  a  consequence  unusually 
late  in   going  south    and  are  more    scattered  than  they 


256  WILL   MADE    ''GOOD." 

would  be  earlier  in  the  season,  and  I  do  not  think  we  will 
pass  the  Cornanches'  main  village  under  forty  miles  from 
here.  You  must  understand  that  the  Comanches'  main  vil- 
lage is  always  near  where  the  largest  herd  of  Buffalo  cross 
the  river,  and  from  this  on  we  will  travel  as  we  have  been 
doing;  I  will  take  the  lead  five  or  six  miles  in  advance  of 
the  train  so  that  if  we  come  on  to  a  band  of  Indians  or  a 
small  village  I  can  meet  them  and  have  a  talk  with  them 
before  the  train  gets  up  to  them,  and  Capt.  I  want  you 
and  the  other  men  to  keep  a  close  look  out  and  if  any  of 
you  see  any  Indians  coming  towards  the  train  from  any 
direction  send  a  runner  after  me  at  once,  for  I  want  to 
meet  the  Indians  before  they  get  to  the  train/* 

The  next  morning  we  pulled  out  early,  and  we  travel- 
ed without  interuption  all  day,  and  we  did  not  see  an 
Indian,  and  but  very  few  Buffalo. 

That  night  we  camped  on  a  little  stream,  called  Cot- 
ton Wood  Creek.  There  was  fine  water  and  the  best  of 
grass  for  the  stock.  That  evening  I  told  the  Capt.  and 
the  wagon  boss  that  the  three  main  Buffalo  crossings 
were  within  thirty  miles  of  us,  and  we  would  probably 
have  more  trouble  with  the  Buffaloesthan  we  would  with 
the  Indians.  "At  this  time  of  the  year  it  is  no  uncommon 
thing  to  see  a  herd  of  Buffalo  from  eight  to  ten  miles 
long,  and  from  a  half  to  a  mile  wide,  and  if  we  meet  with 
such  a  herd  all  we  can  do  is  to  stop  and  wait  until  they 
pass,  for  we  could  no  more  get  through  them,  than  we 
could  fly  over  them,  and,    Capt.  we   now  have  two  dan- 


THOUSANDS    OF    BUFFALOES    PASSED    US.  2 $7 

gers  to  avoid.  The  Indians  and  Buffaloes.  If  you  see 
a  band  of  Buffalo  coming,  and  I  am  not  with  you,  have 
the  wagon  master  corral  the  train  as  quickly  as  possible, 
and  as  close  as  he  can  get  them  together.  I  have  consid- 
erable influence  with  the  Indians,  but  I  have  none  with 
the  Buffaloes,  so  we  must  give  the  latter  their  own  way 
and  a  plenty  of  room,  or  they  will  tramp  the  train  under 
their  feet  and  us  with  it. 

We  were  on  the  road  in  good  season  the  next  morning, 
and  every  thing  went  smoothly  until  about  eleven  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  when  I  saw  a  large  band  of  Buffalo  com- 
ing from  the  north  and  heading  directly  for  the  river.  I 
rode  back  and  met  the  train  and  told  the  wagon  master, 
that  he  must  corrral  the  train  at  once,  and  he  did  not 
have  time  to  get  it  corralled  too  soon,  before  the  herd 
was  near  us,  and  I  will  say  I  had  seen  a  great  many  large 
herds  of  Buffalo  before  and  have  since  that  time  but 
never  saw  any  thing  that  equaled  this  herd.  We  waited 
until  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  before  we  could  move 
on  our  journey,  and  after  they  had  all  passed  us  one 
could  see  nothing  but  a  black  moving  mass  as  far  as  the 
eyes  could  see. 

I  asked  the  Capt.  how  many  Buffaloes  he  thought 
there  were  in  that  band.  He  answered,  *'I  think  the 
number  would  run  into  millions.  How  many  Buffaloes 
would  it  take  to  cover  a  half  a  mile  square.^" 

I  thought  a  moment  and  answered,  ''That  is  a  difficult 
question  to  answer  Capt.     The  way  they  were  crowded 


258  A    -'GOOD   FOR    nothing'*    COUNTRY. 

together  here  I  believe   there    would  be  a  hundred  thou- 
sand on  every  half  a  mile  square." 

Capt.  McKeesaid,  **Yes,  and  on  some  of  the  half  a 
mile  square  there  would  be  more  than  that  number.  I 
was  in  Texas  nine  years,  and  I  saw  a  great  many  bands 
of  Buffalo  in  that  time,  but  I  had  no  idea  that  they  ever 
traveled  in  such  immense  bodies  as  the  one  that  passed 
us  to  day. 

We  proceeded  but  a  short  distance  that  afternoon,  but 
made  an  early  camp  on  account  of  water.  While  we 
were  at  supper,  I  was  amused  at  some  of  the  remarks 
made  by  the  teamsters.  One  of  them  said,  * 'Boys  if  I 
live  to  get  home  you  will  never  catch  me  any  farther 
west  than  the  state  of  Missouri  again.  Who  would  live 
in  such  a  country  as  this  is.^  Good  for  nothing  but  Ind- 
ians, Buffaloes,  and  Coyotes,  an  J  any  of  the  three  is  lia- 
ble to  kill  you  if  you  get  out  among  them."  And  anoth- 
er said,  **How  in  creation  are  we  going  to  get  home?  If 
this  train  don't  go  back  we  are  sure  in  for  it." 

The  wagon  boss  said,  ''Boys,  I  should  not  think  you 
would  want  to  go  back  over  this  country  again."  One 
of  them  said,  **How  would  we  live.^"  He  answered, 
**Why,  you  could  go  and  live  with  the  Indians,  and  then 
you  could  have  Buffalo  meat  to  eat  and  hear  the  Coyotes 
howl  all  the  time," 

This  remark  made  a  laugh,  but  I  noticed  one  of  the 
teamsters  wiped  his  eyes  on  his  coat  sleeve  and  got  up 
and  left  the  crowd,  and  I  saw  the  tears  running  down  his 


THE   VISIT   IN   THK    INDIAN   VILLAGE.  259 

cheeks.  After  he  had  gone  one  of  the  other  drivers  said, 
**I  pity  John,  for  he  thinks  he  will  never  see  his  sweet- 
heart again.  It  was  to  get  money  to  settle  down  with 
that  brought  him  out  here,  and  now  he  is  afraid  that  he 
will  never  get  back,  and  I  believe  he  will  go  crazy  if  he 
don't  get  to  see  his  girl  in  a  few  months.*' 

The  boss  said,  *'It  is  too  bad,  and  I  will  go  and  see  if 
I  can  console  him." 

When  we  were  ready  to  strike  the  trail  the  next  morn- 
ing I  told  the  Capt.  that  I  thought  we  would  pass  the 
Comanches  main  village  that  day.  Said  I,  **If  it  is  late 
in  the  afternoon  when  we  pass  the  Indian  camp,  it  will 
be  best  to  drive  on  four  or  five  miles  before  you  stop  for 
the  night,  and  do  not  pay  any  attention  to  me,  for  very 
likely  I  shall  be  in  the  middle  of  the  camp,  talking  with 
the  Chief." 

I  struck  out,  and  I  had  not  ridden  more  than  eight 
miles,  when  in  looking  off  to  the  south  I  saw  the  Indian 
village.  It  was  about  a  mile  from  the  trail  on  the  bank 
of  the  Arkansas  river.  I  turned  my  horse  and  went  for 
the  village.  When  I  was  about  half  way  there  I  met  a 
number  of  young  bucks,  and  they  all  knew  me.  After  I 
had  shaken  hands  with  them  I  asked  where  the  old 
Chief's  wigwam  was,  and  they  all  went  with  me  and 
showed  me  where  it  was.  As  soon  as  I  struck  the  edge 
of  the  village  every  buck  and  squaw  commenced  to  shout 
and  shake  their  hands  at  me.  When  I  got  to  the  Chief's 
wigwam  I  dismounted,  and   as  he  came  out  to  meet  me 


26o  -'MY    WARRIORS    NO    DISTURB    PALE    FACE." 

I  offered  my  hand  which  is  always  customary  when  one 
visits  an  Indian,  be  he  Chief  or  warrior. 

After  we  had  talked  a  few  minutes,  he  told  me  in  his 
own  language,  that  I  had  come  too  soon.  He  supposed 
I  had  come  to  trade  with  the  Indians  for  Buffalo  robes. 
I  told  him  that  I  had  not  come  to  trade  this  time  but 
would  come  all  prepared  to  trade  in  four  months. 

Then  I  told  him  what  I  was  doing,  and  where  I  was 
going,  and  I  told  him  that  if  he  would  tell  all  his  Warr- 
iors to  let  us  pass  without  disturbing  or  molesting  us  in 
any  way,  I  would  make  him  a  present  of  two  butcher 
knives  when  I  came  in  four  months  to  trade  with 
them. 

This  promise  seemed  to  please  him,  for  he  said,  land 
the  pale  faces  with  me  could  go  through  his  country  and 
none  of  his  Warriors  would  disturb  us.  I  told  him  I  would 
want  to  come  back  with  the  same  wagons  in  about  one 
month  and  he  answered,  *'It  is  well,"  which  meant,  **It 
is  all  right." 

By  this  time  there  were  hundreds  of  bucks  and  squaws 
and  pappooses  around  the  Chief's  wigwam.  They  all 
thought  I  had  come  with  knives  and  rings  and  beads  to 
trade  with  them.  When  the  Chief  told  them  that  I  was 
only  making  him  a  visit,  and  that  I  would  return  in  four 
months  to  trade,  they  all  wanted  to  shake  hands  with  me, 
and  while  I  was  shaking  their  hands,  I  saw  the  train 
pass  along  the  trail,  and  by  the  time  I  had  shaken  hand^ 
with  them  all  it  was  out  of  sight. 


DINNER  WITH  THE  COMANCHE  CHIEF.  26 1 

I  was  now  about  to  mount  my  horse  to  follow  the 
train,  when  the  Chief  said,  **No  go  now,  stay  eat  din- 
ner." 

I  knew  that  it  would  be  considered  an  insult  to  refuse, 
so  I  said,  **Wa  to,"  which  means  ''AH  right." 

I  staked  my  horse  out  by  tying  him  to  a  sage  brush, 
and  accompanied  the  Chief  to  his  wigwam,  and  it  was 
not  long  before  the  squaws  had  a  plenty  of  juicy  Buffalo 
steak  broiled  and  ready  to  eat,  and  I  have  no  doubt 
the  reader  will  think  me  a  very  strange  person  when  I 
say  that  I  enjoyed  that  meal,  which  was  of  broiled  Buf- 
falo meat  alone  without  even  bread,  more  than  I  would 
now  the  most  sumptions  dinner  that  could  be  cooked  and 
spread  on  the  finest  mahogany  table,  and  that  meal  was 
spread  on  the  ground  in  an  Indian  wigwam  with  wild 
Indians  for  companions.'* 

After  a  while  which  seemed  short  to  me  I  looked  at 
my  watch  and  was  surprised  to  find  that  it  was  two  o'- 
clock in  the  afternoon.  I  bid  the  Chief  and  his  squaws 
good  by  and  mounted  my  horse  and  was  off  in  pursuit  of 
the  train. 

I  overtook  them  just  as  they  were  corralling  for  the 
night.  As  I  rode  into  camp  Capt.  McKee  met  me  and 
said,  "Mr.  Drannan,  you  must  bear  a  charmed  life.  I 
never  expected  to  see  you  again,  either  alive  or  dead." 

I  laughed  and  answered,  "Did  you  think  I  was  going 
to  marry  a  squaw  and  settle  down  in  the  Indian  village 
Capt.^     I  thought  you  had  a  better   opinion  of  me  than 


a62  ''WHERE    HAVE    YOU    BEEN?'' 

that.  I  will  confess  that  I  like  the  Indians  pretty  well, 
but  not  well  enough  to  be  a  squaw  man. " 

This  answer  made  a  general  laugh  and  upset  the  gravi- 
ty that  was  settling  on  all  their  faces.  Capt  McKee  then 
said,  ^ 'Where  have  you  been  all  day,  Mr.  Drannan.'^" 

I  told  him,  I  went  to  the  Indian  village  which  he  pas- 
sed and  was  invited  to  eat  dinner  with  the  head  Chief, 
and  they  made  such  a  spread  that  I  like  to  not  got  away 
to  day.  He  said,  *'What  could  you  have  had  for  dinner 
that  it  took  all  day  to  eat  it.^"  I  answered,  * 'Buffalo 
steak  straight  cooked  in  the  most  approved  style." 

This  answer  made  such  a  laugh  that  the  Capt.  did  not 
asked  any  more  questions  until  he  and  I  were  alone  that 
evening.  The  wagon  master  and  Capt.  McKee  asked 
me  to  take  a  walk  with  them.  After  we  had  strolled 
along  a  while  the  Capt.  said,  "Mr.  Drannan  how  is  it 
that  you  can  go  into  those  Indian  villages  be  they  large 
or  small,  it  seems  to  make  no  difference  to  you,  and  the 
Indians  do  not  molest  you.?  Have  you  no  hesitation  at 
all  in  going  among  the  Indians.?" 

I  answered,  **Yes  sir,  I  would  hesitate  a  long  time  be- 
fore I  went  into  the  village  of  some  tribes  of  Indians,  but 
I  have  no  fear  of  the  Comanches  in  small  bands  or  when 
they  are  all  together,  for  they  are  all  friendly  to  me,  and 
instead  of  hurting  me  they  would  protect  me  from  harm, 
and  there  is  something  else  I  can  guarantee,  and  that  is, 
that  this  train  will  not  be  molested  by  the  Comanche 
Indians,  either  going  or  coming  on  this  trip.'* 


THE   chief's   promise.  263 

Capt.  McKee  said,  *  'Where  in  tht  world  could  you 
get  that  guarantee  Mr.  Drannan?" 

I  replied,  *Capt.  McKee,  I  gotit  from  the  head  Chief 
of  the  Comanche  tribe,  and  his  word  is  law  with  all  his 
warriors.'* 

Then  the  wagon  master  spoke  for  the  first  time  since 
we  started  on  our  walk.  He  said,  *  *In  that  case  there  is 
no  need  of  all  these  men  as  an  escort,  is  there.'*" 

I  answered,  *'That  is  none  of  my  business;  it  is  noth- 
ing to  me  how  many  men  the  Government  employs  to 
escort  the  trains.  All  I  have  to  do  with  it  is  to  do  my 
duty." 

The  Capt.  inquired  how  I  came  to  make  such  an  ar- 
rangement wn'th  the  Chief.  I  told  him,  that  I  had  the  idea 
in  my  mind  from  the  beginning,  and  that  was  the  reason 
I  wanted  to  goto  the  main  village  in  advance  of  the  train, 
so  I  could  arrange  every  thing  to  suit  myself  before  the 
train  came  in  sight. 

The  Capt.  inquired,  how  much  it  cost  me  to  get  the 
guarantee,  I  said,  *'The  cost,  was  considerable,  but  I 
think  the  teamsters  will  be  willing  to  make  it  up  to  me, 
considering  the  trouble  and  perhaps  loss  of  life  I  have 
saved  them.'* 

The  wagon  boss  said,  *'I  reckon  we  all  will  want  to 
take  a  hand  in  that  payment.  Tell  me  what  it  costs  and 
be  it  ever  so  much  you  shall  not  be  out  a  cent.  I  will 
go  and  see  trie  boys  right  away  and  see  if  we  can  make 
It  up.     Sew  iriccfa  shall  I  tell  them.^" 


264  TWO    BUTCHER    KNiVES. 

I  answered,  ''I  promised  the  Chief  two  butcher  knives 
for  the  safety  of  this  train's  passage  through  the  Coman- 
che country,  both  going  to  Santa  Fe  and    coming  back/* 

They  both  stared  at  me  as  if  they  were  amazed,  and 
finally  the  Capt.  said,  **What  are  you  giving  us?  Are 
you  joking  or  in  earnest.  Mr.  Drannani^" 

I  answered,  *'I  have  told  just  what  I  promised  to  give 
the  Chief.  We  did  not  call  it  **paying,"  and  I  hare  over 
three  months  to  pay  it  in.'* 

Capt.  McKee  said,  '  *Two  butcher  knives  for  the  safety 
of  all  our  lives  and  all  the  property  in  our  care.^  How 
in  the  name  of  common  sense  could  you  make  such  a 
bargain  as    that.?" 

I  answered,  **There  is  nothing  very  wonderful  about 
the  transaction  Capt.  I  told  the  Chief  that  I  would 
give  him  two  butcher  knives  if  he  would  tell  his  war- 
riors not  to  molest  the  train  either  going  or  coming  back, 
and  he  accepted  my  offer  and  seemed  to  think  himself 
well  paid.  I  told  him  that  I  would  come  to  trade  with 
his  tribe  in  four  months  and  that  I  would  give  the  knives 
to  him  then.'' 

Capt.  McKee  asked  how  many  more  villages  we  would 
have  to  pass  through.  I  told  him  that  there  were  two 
more  small  villages.  One  was  about  ten  miles,  and  the 
other  one  about  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  above  us. 

He  inquired,  if  I  intended  to  visit  each  of  those  in  ad- 
vance of  the  train  as  I  had  the  ones  we  had  passed;  I 
replied,  **I  certainly  do,  for  they  would  think  themselves 


THE   BOYS   WERE   TOLD   THE   CONTRACT.  265 

greatly  insulted,  if  I  should  visit  the  other  villages  and 
pass  them  bye  without  paying  them  a  visit  too.  The 
Indians  are  very  much  like  children.  If  you  notice  one, 
you  must  pay  the  same  attention  to  the  others  or  there 
will  be  jealousy,  and  that  is  very  much  to  be  avoided  in 
this  case,  besides  I  expect  to  trade  with  those  Indians 
next  spring,  and  I  want  to  keep  theongood  side  of  all  of 
them.  If  one  gets  the  ill  will  of  one  Indian  the  whole 
tribe  is  against  one,  and  if  you  have  the  Chief  on  your 
side  there  is  no  danger  from  the  others." 

When  we  returned  to  camp  from  our  walk  the  wagon 
master  said,  **Boys,  Mr.  Drannan  has  hired  the  Chief  of 
the  Comanches  to  forbid  his  warriors  interfering  with 
this  train  going  to  Santa  Fe  or  when  it  is  coming  back. 
Now  I  want  to  know  how  much  money  each  one  of  you 
are  willing  to  chip  in  towards  helping  him  out.  You 
must  remember  that  the  contract  he  made  with  the  Ind- 
ian Chief  has  not  only  saved  the  destruction  of  the  train, 
but  more  than  likely  some  of  us  would  have  lost  our  lives 
if  the  Indians  had  resented  our  passing  through  their 
country." 

Three  drivers,  they  were  all  from  Missouri,  came  for- 
ward at  once  and  said,  **Mr.  Drannan,  we  hav'nt  any 
money  now,  but  as  soon  as  we  draw  our  pay,  we  will  give 
you  twenty  dollars  apiece  as  our  share. " 

Another  man  cried  out,  **I  will  give  twenty  five." 

Capt.  McKee  frowned  and  said,  ''Don't  you  think  your 
lives  worth  more  than  twenty  five  dollars^  men." 


266  **YOU   DO   NOT   OWE   ME   A   CENT." 

This  remark  seemed  to  stir  them  up,  and  in  less  than 
ten  minutes,  they  had  subscribed  four  hundred  and  forty 
dollars. 

The  Capt.  clapped  his  hands,  and  said,  **Mr.  Drannan 
you  are  safe,"  and  then  told  the  men  what  the  real  ex- 
pense would  be  to  me.  The  Missouri  men  answered, 
**Don't  make  any  difference  to  us  what  he  is  to  pay. 
The  bargain  he  made  to  save  our  lives  is  what  we  want 
to  pay  for  as  far  as  we  can. 

I  said,  **Now  boys,  I  believe  that  I  have  been  instru- 
mental in  saving  some  of  your  lives  and  probably  the 
whole  train,  but  you  don't  owe  me  a  cent  of  money  for 
what  I  have  done,  and  I  want  to  say  to  you  all  that  if 
there  should  be  any  Indians  come  near  the  train  while 
we  are  passing  through  the  Comanche  country  do  not 
interfere  with  them  in  any  way,  and  you  may  rest  assured 
they  will  not  with  you. " 

The  Capt.  now  turned  to  the  wagon  master  and  said, 
**How  much  further  do  you  want  me  and  my  men  to  ac- 
company you?"  He  answered,  *'I  will  leave  that  for  you 
and  Mr.  Drannan  to  decide." 

I  said,  *'Capt.  McKee,  I  think  you  had  better  stay 
with  the  train  until  we  cross  the  river  at  Rocky  Ford 
which  will  take  the  train  nearly  out  of  the  Comanche 
country,  at  this  season  of  the  year,  and  v;^e  ought  to 
reach  Rocky  Ford  day  after  to  morrow  night  and  as  far 
as  having  an  escort  is  concerned  I  do  not  think  there  will 
be  any  more  need  of  one   after  we  cross  Rocky  Ford.      I 


THE  ONLY  PROTECTION  OF  THE  TRAIN.      26/ 

think  the  train  will  be  perfectly  safe  to  go  on  alone  under 
the  present  circumstances." 

To  this  neither  the  Capt.  or  the  wagon  master  would 
agree,  for  Capt.  McKee  said,  **You  Mr.  Drannan  have 
been  really  the  only  protection  the  train  has  had,  and  it 
is  no  more  than  right  that  you  should  accompany  it 
through  to  Santa  Fe.  I  with  my  men  will  go  on  to  Santa 
Fe,  and  I  will  report  that  all  is  well  with  the  train,  and 
I  will  also  report  what  you  have  done  in  protecting  the 
Hves  of  the  men  as  well  as  the  Government  property  on 
this  trip.** 

The  next  morning  we  broke  camp  early  and  hit  the 
trail  in  good  season.  Every  thing  went  along  smoothly 
until  about  two  o'clock,  when  we  came  in  sight  of  a  little 
Indian  village.  It  was  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Ark- 
ansas river. 

I  rode  to  the  bank  of  the  river  where  I  saw  a  number 
of  squaws  on  the  other  side.  I  waved  my  hand  at  them 
and  they  recognized  me  at  once  and  began  crying  *'Hy- 
ar-hy-ar"  and  they  came  to  the  brink  of  the  river  and 
waved  their  hands  at  me.  I  called  to  them,  that  in  four 
months  I  would  come  with  a  plenty  of  beads  and  rings 
and  knives  to  trade  with  them.  They  clapped  their 
hands  and  answered,  **Good-good,"  and  I  turned  my 
horse  and  rode  back  to  meet  the  train. 

I  will  here  explain  that  all  this  conversation  had  been 
carried  on  in  the  Comanches  language,  as  the  Indians, 
neither  bucks  or  squaws  could  understand  a  word  of  the 


268  A   GOOD   JOKE. 

English  language  at  that  time,  and  if  I  could  not  have 
talked  with  them  in  their  language  I  would  not  have  had 
the  influence  over  them  that  I  had  now. 

That  night  when  we  went  into  camp  Capt.  McKee  got 
off  a  good  joke  on  me. 

While  we  were  eating  supper  he  said,  *'Mr  Drannan, 
I  have  caught  on  to  your  tricks  with  the  Indians.  First 
you  make  love  to  the  squaws,  and  then  you  get  the  good 
will  of  the  bucks,  by  giving  them  knives  to  scalp  the 
white  men  with.  I  saw  how  you  made  love  to  the  squaws 
to  day  when  you  were  flirting  with  them  across  the  river, 
and  I  saw  them  throwing  kisses  at  you  too." 

I  answered,  *  *Capt.  you  ought  to  be  with  me  when  I 
come  down  here  to  trade  with  them.  You  would  then 
see  the  real  thing.  I  will  acknowledge  that  I  get  all  the 
hand  shaking  that  I  can  stand  up  to,  but  as  far  as  kiss- 
ing and  hugging  is  concerned,  that  the  squaws  save  for 
their  own  if  they  give  them  to  any  one. " 

The  Capt.  laughed  and  answered,  * 'Well  putting  jok- 
ing aside,  Mr.  Drannan,  I  think  the  Indians  of  the  Com- 
anche tribe  are  all  your  friends,  and  no  mistake,  and  I 
see  that  you  have  a  wonderful  influence  over  them. " 

I  answered,  *'Capt.  McKee,  I  have  been  trading  with 
those  Indians  four  years,  and  I  have  always  done  just  as 
I  agreed  to  do  with  them,  which  is  the  secret  of  what 
you  call  my  wonderful  influence  over  them,  and  I  certain- 
ly have  never  had  any  trouble  with  one  of  the  Comanche 
Indians  yet,  and  I  will  tell  you  further  more,   Capt.  that 


GAPT.    MCKEE   TAKES    LEAVE.  269 

I  intend  if  I  go  back  with  this  train,  to  carry  the  knives 
with  me  and  stop  at  the  main  village  and  give  them  to 
the  old  Chief,  for  I  do  not  know  how  soon  I  may  have 
occasion  to  ask  another  favor  of  him,  and  I  feel  confident 
that  as  long  as  I  keep  his  good  will  he  will  never  refuse 
to  do  me  a  favor." 

We  left  this  camp  quite  early  in  the  morning,  and  all 
things  worked  satisfactory  throughout  the  day.  We  did 
not  see  an  Indian  and  but  very  few  Buffaloes.  We  reach- 
ed Rocky  Ford  and  crossed  the  river  just  before  night 
and  went  into  camp,  and  Capt.  McKee  began  to  make 
preparations  to  leave  the  train,  as  with  his  twenty  men 
and  also  the  twenty  seven  men  who  went  with  me  from 
Bent's  Fort  he  intended  to  strike  out  in  the  morning  for 
Santa  Fe  where  he  could  make  his  report,  and  the  men 
could  receive  their  pay  from  the  Government  for  their 
services  on  this  trip. 

Before  he  left  us  in  the  morning  I  said,  "Now  Capt. 
there  is  a  part  of  the  route  between  here  and  Santa  Fe 
which  I  am  not  familiar  with,  and  as  the  country  is 
strange  to  the  wagon  master  also,  can  you  tell  me  about 
the  water  and  also  tell  me  how  many  days  it  will  take  the 
train  to  reach  Santa  Fe  from  this  place?"  The  Capt. 
answered,  *'As  for  water  and  grass,  you  will  find  a  plenty 
all  along  the  way;  there  is  not  more  than  four  or  five  miles 
from  one  stream  to  another,  and  for  the  time  it  will  take 
to  reach  Santa  Fe,  I  figure  that  it  will  take  fourteen  days 
if  every  thing  moves  as  smoothly   in  the  future  as  it  has 


2/0  A  MESSAGE   SENT  HOME. 

done  the  last  few  days,  and  now,  Mr.  Drannan,  have  you 
any  word  you  would  like  to  send  to  Bent's  Fort  to  Mr. 
Bent  or  Roubidoux?  I  intend  to  go  back  that  way,  and 
I  will  take  any  message  to  any  one  there,  that  you  would 
like  to  send." 

I  said,  *  'Tell  Mr.  Bent  and  Mr.  Roubidoux  that  I  will 
be  at  Bent's  Fort  as  soon  as  I  finish  this  job  and  can  get 
there,  and  that  if  they  want  me  to  go  and  trade  with  the 
Comanches,!  have  everything  cut  and  dried  for  business, 
for  I  have  visited  all  the  main  villages  on  this  trip,  and 
the  Indians  are  expecting  to  see  me  back  in  four  months 
to  trade  with  them. " 

The  men  all  mounted  now,  and  we  shook  hands  and 
bid  each  other  good  bye,  and  the  Capt.  and  forty  seven 
others  struck  out  back  across  the  Arkansas  river  for 
Santa  Fe  by  the  way  of  Bent's  Fort,  while  the  train 
kept  on  up  the  old  Santa  Fe  trail  by  the  picket  wire 
route. 

From  this  place  I  had  a  jolly  time  allthe  way  to  Santa 
Fe;  we  were  in  a  wild  country  where  game  was  plenty- 
ful,  such  as  Deer,  Antelope,  and  black  Bear,  and  after 
the  first  day's  travel  there  was  never  a  night  on  the  trip 
but  I  had  fresh  meat  for  supper. 

I  traveled  along  with  the  train,  until  the  middle  of  the 
afternoon,  then  I  always  asked  the  wagon  boss  what  kind 
of  meat  he  wanted  for  supper.  Sometimes  he  would  say 
Antelope,  and  at  other  times  he  said,  he  would  like  a 
piece  of  black  tail  Deer,  and  I  invaribly  got  what  he  men- 


A  JOLLY   TIME.  2/1 

tioned. 

We  got  up  into  the  foot  hills  where  Trinidad,  Colorado 
now  stands.  The  wagon  boss  and  I  were  riding  along 
together  one  afternoon,  I  looked  at  my  watch  and  saw 
that  it  was  about  time  to  be  looking  for  some  meat  for 
supper.  I  asked  him  in  a  joking  way  what  he  would  like 
best  for  supper  if  he  could  get  it.  He  replied  that  he 
would  like  a  Cub  Bear  for  a  roast  tonight.  Up  to  this 
time  I  had  not  seen  a  bear  although  I  had  seen  some 
signs  of  them,  and  I  had  no  more  idea  of  killing  a  bear 
that  evening  than  I  had  of  flying  when  I  started  out  to 
get  something  for  supper. 

I  struck  out  on  a  low  ridge  that  run  almost  parallel 
with  the  trail.  I  had  gone  but  a  short  distance  when  I 
came  on  a  patch  of  buckle  berries,  and  they  certainly 
looked  as  if  they  might  be  delicious.  They  were  the 
first  I  had  seen  that  year,  I  jumped  off  my  horse  and 
went  to  picking  and  eating  as  fast  as  I  could.  In  a  few 
minutes  my  horse  gave  a  little  snort.  When  I  turned  to 
see  what  was  the  matter  I  saw  that  something  had  fright- 
ened him.  I  went  to  him  at  once  and  not  over  fifty  yards 
from  him  was  an  old  she  bear,  and  she  had  two  cubs 
with  her,  and  I  thought,  they,  like  myself  were  so  taken 
with  eating  berries  that  they  had  not  noticed  the  horse 
or  me  either. 

I  took  my  rifle,  dropped  down  on  one  knee,  fired  and 
broke  one  of  the  cubs  necks.  The  mother  bear  ran  to 
the  dead  cub  and  pawed  it  with  her  foot.     While  she 


373       BEARS  FEET  ON  THE  BILL  OF  FARE. 

was  thus  engaged  I  mounted  my  horse  drew  my  pistol, 
rode  up  to  where  the  mother  bear,  and  her  two  cubs 
were  in  a  bunch  and  shot  the  other  cub  and  broke  this 
one*s  back,  and  it  looked  for  a  few  minutes  as  if  I  must 
run  from  the  mother,  as  I  did  not  want  to  kill  her  for  the 
reason  that  I  had  no  use  for  so  much  meat.  So  I  rode 
away  a  short  distance  and  watched  her  a  few  minutes. 
She  pawed  them  over  a  few  times  and  seemed  to  think 
that  they  were  no  more  good  and  with  a  few  low  growls 
she  trotted  off  into  the  brush,  and  I  saw  no  more  of 
her. 

I  then  rode  to  the  dead  cubs  and  dismounted  from  my 
horse.  I  picked  them  up  and  strapped  them  both  on  the 
back  of  my  saddle  and  struck  out  to  overtake  the  train, 
which  I  did  just  as  they  were  going  into  camp. 

When  the  wagon  master  saw  me  coming  he  came  to 
meet  me,  and  when  he  saw  the  load  on  my  horse's  back 
he  exclaimed,  **Mr.  Drannan,  I  would  like  to  know  if 
there  is  anything  that  you  can't  do  that  you  take  a  notion 
to  do?  I  had  no  idea  that  you  would  bring  in  a  bear  this 
evening  than  I  had  of  doing  so  myself.  I  was  only  jok- 
ing when  I  suggested  bear  meat  for  supper." 

I  answered,  ''Well,  you  had  your  joke,  and  you  and 
the  rest  of  us  can  have  Bears  Foot  roasted  for  supper, 
and  as  I  have  wanted  some  bear  meat  for  several  days, 
I  can  please  you  and  myself  at  the  same  time." 

The  whole  outfit  was  amazed  when  I  spoke  about 
roasting  the  bears*  feet,    they  had  never  heard  of  such  a 


TOOTHSOME    INDEED.  2/3 

thing  before.  When  I  got  all  the  feet  roasted  I  took  one 
from  the  coals  and  told  the  men  to  help  themselves.  They 
all  gathered  around  me  to  see  how  I  fixed  it,  so  I  could 
eat  it.  When  I  had  it  ready  to  eat  the  wagon  boss  said, 
**Well  who  ever  thought  of  eating  Bear's  Feet.^  But  it 
does  look  nice.'* 

He  watched  me  eat  a  few  minutes  and  then  made  the 
remark,  that,  as  I  seemed  to  like  it  so  well  he  guessed 
he  would  try  one,  and  it  was  not  long  before  the  boys  all 
had  a  taste  of  Bears'  Foot. 

After  he  had  demolished  a  whole  foot  the  wagon  boss 
said,  *'I  have  tasted  almost  all  kinds  of  meat,  but  I 
must  say,  that  I  never  ate  any  meat  as  good  as  Bears 
Foot." 

Some  of  the  boys  asked  me  if  I  could  get  some  more 
Bears'  Feet  for  supper  the  next  night,  and  one  said, 
he  would  give  me  a  dollar  if  I  would  get  a  big  foot  for 
him. 

We  got  an  early  start  on  the  road  the  next  morning, 
and  we  traveled  along  all  day  without  anything  of  inter- 
est taking  place. 

Along  in  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  I  told  the  boss, 
that  I  guessed,  I  would  go  and  hunt  some  more  huckle- 
berries. He  said,  **I  would  not  exert  myself  to  get  any 
more  meat  today,  if  I  were  you.  We  have  enough  foi 
supper  that  was  leftover  from  last  night." 

*'Yes,  but  I  want  some  huckle-berries,  and  I  will  pick 
enough  for  your  and  my  supper  if  I  can  find  them." 


274  *'THE    MISSOURI    BOYS    WILL    KNOW." 

I  struck  out  and  rode  a  mile  or  more,  but  I  was  not  at 
any  time  more  than  a  half  a  mile  from  the  train.  I  came 
to  a  little  ridge.  When  I  had  ridden  to  the  top  of  it  I  saw 
something  in  the  way  of  game  that  was  a  great  surprise 
to  me,  as  I  had  not  seen  any  of  that  kind  in  several  years. 
It  was  a  large  flock  of  wild  turkeys.  I  saw  that  they  had 
not  discovered  me  as  yet.  I  looked  all  around  and  could 
see  no  place  where  they  could  roost  except  a  little  bunch 
of  timber  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  where  they  were 
feeding.  I  got  back  out  of  sight  and  rode  back  to  the 
train  as  quickly  as  I  could.  When  I  overtook  the  train 
the  boss  was  looking  for  a  place  to  corral,  and  it  was  not 
long  before  all  was  in  shape  for  the  night. 

I  asked  the  boss  if  he  would  like  to  go  turkey  hunting 
that  night.^  His  answer  was,  that  he  always  went  turkey 
hunting  in  the  day  time,  when  he  could  see  to  shoot 
them.  I  asked  him  if  he  had  never  hunted  them  at 
night,  and  he  said  no,  and  had  never  heard  of  any  one 
else  doing  such  a  thing. 

I  said,  **A11  right,  I  will  go  to  the  boys  from  Missouri 
and  ask  them,  for  I  have  found  a  flock  of  wild  turkeys, 
and  I  know  where  they  roost.  '* 

When  I  told  the  Missouri  boys  of  my  find  they  were 
wild  for  the  hunt.  One  said,  **Do  I  know  how  to  hunt 
turkeys  by  night.^  You  bet  I  do,  and  I  have  a  shot-gun 
that  will  fetch  one  every  pop." 

I  said,  **A11  right,  yon  can  have  a  chance  to  try  your 
gun  to  night,  for  the   moon  will  be  bright  to  night,  and 


A   TURKEY   HUNT   BY   NIGHT.  2/$ 

we  will  start  right  after  supper,  and  I  think  we  will  have 
some  fun  and  all  the  turkeys  we  want  besides,  for  the 
flock  was  a  large  one  that  I  saw  this  afternoon.'* 

When  I  was  ready,  I  found  eight  of  the  boys  had  their 
guns  all  ready  and  were  waiting  for  me.  It  was  not  over 
a  half  a  mile  from  camp  to  the  grove  where  I  felt  sure 
we  should  find  the  turkeys.  When  we  reached  the  edge 
of  the  timber  I  said,  **Now,  boys,  I  think  we  had  better 
split  up -and  two  go  together,  and  when  any  of  you  see  a 
turkey  shoot  him." 

In  a  few  minutes  all  I  could  hear  was,  **bang,  bang" 
all  around  me,  and  once  in  a  while  the  cry,  **rve  got 
one,"  as  the  hunter  captured  one  he  had  wounded. 

I  spent  most  of  my  time  laying  at  the  foot  of  a  tree, 
laughing  and  watching  the  other  fellows  shoot  and  chase 
the  turkeys,  but  the  fun  did  not  last  long.  In  a  few  min- 
utes it  was  all  over,  and  when  the  boys  gathered  up  their 
game  there  were  eleven  turkeys,  and  I  had  not  killed  a 
one,  but  I  had  my  share  of  the  sport  in  watching  the 
others. 

We  struck  back  for  camp,  all  the  hunters  feeling  proud 
of  what  they  had  done.  When  we  reached  camp  we 
found  the  cook  waiting  for  us  with  every  thing  that  would 
hold  water  and  stand  the  fire  that  he  could  get  hold  of 
full  of  steaming  hot  water,  ready  to  scald  the  turkeys,  and 
all  the  men  pitched  in  and  helped  to  dress  them. 

When  we  were  picking  the  turkeys  the  boss  said  to 
the   cook,  **Say   John,  can't  you  preserve  one   of  these 


276  AT   SANTA   FE. 

birds,  so  it  will  keep  until  we  get  to  Santa  Fe,  and  we 
will  present  it  to  Capt.  McKee?" 

John  answered,  *  'I  am  afraid  it  would  not  keep  Boss. 
There  are  too  many  of  us  in  this  crowd  that  like  tur- 
key fried  in  bears'  grease,  and  after  you  have  had 
breakfast  in  the  morning  you  won't  say  any  thing 
more  about  preserving  turkeys  for  some  body  else  to 
eat." 

But  notwithstanding  this  remark  John  kept  two  tur- 
keys until  we  got  to  Santa  Fe  the  third  day  after  the 
turkey  hunt.  We  made  the  trip  from  Rocky  Ford  to 
Santa  Fe  in  thirteen  days.  We  met  Capt.  McKee  com- 
ing to  meet  us,  about  two  miles  before  we  reached  our 
journey's  end,  and  with  him  was  Col.  Chicington,  the 
commander  of  the  Government  Post  at  Santa  Fe.  I  was 
riding  alone  just  a  little  ahead  of  the  train.  When  I 
met  them,  I  saluted  the  Capt.  and  after  we  had  shaken 
hands  he  introduced  me  to  the  Col.  whom  I  had  never 
met  before,  although  I  had  heard  of  him,  and  he  had 
heard  of  me  also. 

The  Col.  said.  **Mr.  Drannan,  I  have  been  acquainted 
with  Capt.  McKee  for  several  years,  and  have  known 
him  to  have  been  a  great  Indian  fighter,  but  he  tells  me, 
that  you  can  do  more  with  the  Comanches  alone  than 
he  could  do  if  he  had  five  hundred  soldiers  to  help  him. 
**Now,  there  must  be  some  secret  about  this,  and  I  would 
like  to  be  iniciated  into  it.  The  Capt.  tells  me  that  you 
went  into  the  Comanches'  main  village  alone,  and  I  pre- 


will's  ready  wit.  277 

sume  there  were  several  thousand  warriors  there  at  that 
time,  and  what  seems  more  wonderful  to  me"hesaid,  **that 
you  staid  and  ate  dinner  with  the  head  Chief.  Now  my 
friend,  there  must  ba  something  in  this  unusual  transac- 
tion. Will  you  tell  me  the  secret  of  your  influence  with 
the  red  men?" 

I  answered,  *'Col.,  if  you  were  a  member  of  a  secret 
organization  would  you  think  it  right  to  give  away  the 
secret  to  outsiders  .»*" 

At  this  answer  the  Capt-  laughed  and  slapped  the  Col. 
on  the  back,  and  said,  **Col.,  I  reckon,  you  have  got 
your  match  in  Mr.  Drannan,  for  I  have  never  asked  him 
a  question  that  he  did  not  find  a  way  to  answer  me 
without  giving  me  the  information  that  I  was  seek- 
ing." 

Col.  Chivington  smiled,  but  made  no  answer  to  the 
Capt.  or  me. 

We  rode  in  silence  a  few  minutes  and  then  turning  to 
me  the  Col.  said,  **Mr.  Drannan,  I  want  you  to  come  to 
my  quarters  to  night,  I  have  a  little  business  that  I  would 
like  to  talk  with  you." 

We  soon  got  to  headquarters,  and  as  soon  as  the  train 
was  corralled  I  sav/  cook  John  coming  to  where  the  Col. 
the  Capt.  and  I  were  standing,  and  he  had  a  turkey  in 
each  of  his  hands. 

As  soon  as  he  reached  us  he  handed  Capt.  McKee  one 
of  the  turkeys,  with  the  remark,  "Here  is  your  supper, 
Capt.  and  yours  also  Col.'*  and  he  gave  the  other  turkey 


278  ''MR.    DRANNAN    WAS   A   GOOD   PROVIDER." 

to  the  Col. 

They  both  looked  at  John  in  amazement,  and  the  Col. 
said,  *  'Thank  you  very  much,  but  where  m  creation  did 
you  get  them?" 

John  answered,  -'I  did  not  get  them.  You  must  give 
that  honor  to  Mr.  Drannan,  and  I  will  say,  that  he  has 
provided  every  thing  good  to  eat,  from  turkey  to  bear 
feet,  since  we  left  Rocky  Ford." 

I  went  to  Col.  Chivington's  quarters  that  evening,  and 
as  soon  as  we  were  seated,  he  asked  me,  if  I  intended  to 
return  with  the  train  to  Bent's  Fort. 

I  answered.  **I  have  sent  word  to  Mr.  Bent,  that  I  wag 
coming  back  to  the  Fort  as  soon  as  I  finished  my  business 
with  the  train  here,  but  I  have  not  asked  Capt.  McKee 
whether  Col.  Bent  wants  my  services  or  not." 

At  this  moment  Capt.  McKee  came  in.  I  said,  **Capt., 
what  answer  did  Col.  Bent  give  to  the  message  that  1 
sent  by  you.^" 

He  answered,  **He  said  he  wanted  you  to  get  back  to 
the  Fort  as  quickly  as  you  can,  that  they  want  you  to  go 
to  the  Comanche  village  on  a  trading  trip  for  them. " 

I  turned  to  the  Col.  and  said,  **You  see  the  position  I 
am  in  Col.  You  must  bear  in  mind  that  the  train  does 
not  need  an  escort  back  to  Bent's  Fort,  for  there  are  no 
Comanches  between  here  and  there,  and  I  do  not  see 
where  there  is  anything  to  hinder  the  train  in  going  back 
in  perfect  safety, " 

The  Col.  then  said,  **Now  Mr.  Drannan,  what  do  you 


A    DIFFICULT   MATTER  TO    SETTLE.  2/9 

expect  for  your  trouble  in  piloting  the  train  here?" 

I  answered,  **Col.,  I  will  leave  that  matter  with  you 
and  Capt.  McKee.  He  knows  what  my  services  have 
been  and  what  they  were  worth." 

The  Capt.  said,  *'Col.,  it  will  be  impossible  to  ever  pay 
Mr.  Drannan  the  worth  of  what  he  has  done  to  protect 
the  train  through  the  Comanche  country,  in  not  only 
protecting  the  Government  property,  but  the  lives  of  the 
men  that  were  with  the  train.  So  Col,  you  will  readily 
understand  what  a  difficult  matter  it  is  to  put  an  estimate 
on  what  his  services  calls  for  in  money." 

Col.  Chivington  sat  in  thought  a  few  minutes  and  then 
said  to  me,  **Mr.  Drannan,  will  two  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars  be  a  sufficient  amount  to  offer  you.?'* 

*'That  will  be  owing  to  circumstances.  Col.  If  I  drop 
the  train  here  it  will,  but  if  I  am  required  to  pilot  the 
train  back  through  the  Comanche  country,  I  would  not 
think  of  accepting  so  small  an  amount." 

He  then  said,  **Mr.  Drannan,  providing  we  employ 
you  to  take  the  train  back  through  the  Comanche  country 
will  there  be  need  of  any  other  escort  but  yourself.^" 

I  answered,  **Nosir,  I  would  much  prefer  to  handle 
the  Indians  by  myself  than  to  have  a  crowd  with  me," 
I  then  said,  **Col. ,  you  have  the  control  of  this  train. 
Why  don't  you  make  a  contract  with  Col.  Bent  and  Mr. 
Roubidoux  to  load  the  train  with  Buffalo  robes  to  freight 
back  to  the  Missouri  river?  I  believe  that  if  you  could 
do  so  it  would  nearly  if  not  quite  pay  the  expense  of  the 


28o  A   MIGHTY   GOOD    SCHEME. 

whole  trip." 

He  answered,  * 'That  is  something  I  had  not  thought 
of,  but  it  looks  as  if  it  might  be  a  good  scheme,'*  and 
turning  to  the  Capt.  he  said,  *'Capt.  McKee  will  you  re- 
turn with  Mr.  Drannan  to  Bent's  Fort  and  see  if  such  an 
arrangement  can  be  made  with  Col.  Bent  and  Mr.  Roubi- 
doux  and  report  to  me  as  quickly  as  possible.^" 

The  Capt.  answered,  *'Yes,  if  you  think  it  best,  and 
we  want  to  be  on  the  road  early  in  the  morning  if  I  am 
to  make  such  an  arrangement." 

Col.  Chivington  said,  **Very  well,  I  will  hold  the  train 
here  until  I  get  your  report  and,  Mr.  Drannan,  come  to 
me  in  the  morning,  and  I  will  settle  with  you.'* 

The  Capt.  and  I  now  left  the  Col's,  quarters,  and  on 
the  way  to  our  own  quarters  the  Capt.  said,  **Mr.  Dran- 
nan I  think  you  were  very  unwise  in  accepting  so  small 
an  amount  as  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  for  your  ef- 
forts to  save  the  lives,  and  more  than  that,  think  of  what 
an  expense  it  would  have  been  to  the  Government  to  fit 
out  another  train  to  take  the  place  of  the  one  destroyed, 
if  the  Indians  had  attacked  it  which,  I  have  no  doubt  they 
would  if  you  had  not  been  there  to  control  them.  A 
thousand  dollars  is  the  least  you  ought  to  have  accept- 
ed. 

I  answered,  **Capt.  I  thank  you  for  your  interest  in 
me,  and  I  will  profit  by  it.  I  have  another  chance  with 
the  Col.  if  he  employs  me  to  take  the  train  back  through 
the  Comanchoe   country  which,  I  feel  cnfident  he  will." 


**WHERE   CAN   I    FIND   YOU?"  28 1 

The  next  morning  we  were  up  very  early  and  ready  to 
leave  Santa  Fe.  I  went  and  bid  the  wagon  boss  and  the 
other  men  of  the  train  good  bye  and  told  them  of  the  ar- 
rangement now  pending  between  the  Col.  and  the  peo- 
ple at  Bent's  Fort.  This  news  seemed  to  please  the 
boys  very  much  especially  if  I  were  to  be  their  escort 
through  the  Indian  country.  The  wagon  boss  was  anx- 
ious to  know  how  soon  we  would  know  what  we  were 
going  to  do.  I  told  him  we  would  know  in  eighteen  or 
twenty  days  at  the  outside. 

Capt.  McKee  and  I  now  went  to  the  Col's,  quarters, 
and  he  paid  me  the  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  I  had 
agreed  to  take.  As  we  were  leaving  the  Col.  said, 
'  'Mr.  Drannan,  if  the  Capt.  makes  the  arrangement  in 
regard  to  the  freighting  of  the  Buffalo  robes  where  can  I 
find  you.^" 

I  answered,  **I  shall  make  Bent's  Fort  my  head  quar- 
ters from  now  on  until  next  spring. " 

Capt.  McKee  and  I  now  pulled  out  for  Bent's  Fort,  he 
being  well  acquainted  with  the  country,  we  did  not  take 
any  road  or  trail,  but  took  our  way  across  the  country  by 
the  most  direct  route,  and  we  made  good  time  all  the 
way.  As  well  as  I  can  remember  it  was  called  in  the 
aeighborhood  of  three  hundred  miles  from  Santa  Fe  to 
Bent's  Fort  and  we  covered  it  in  seven  days  on  this 
trip. 

When  we  landed  at  the  Fort  Col.  Bent  and  Mr.  Rou- 
bedioux  were  both  there.     Capt.   McKee  informed  them 


282  PACKING   THE   TRADING   GOODS 

what  he  had  come  for  at  once,  and  they  were  more  than 
anxious  to  close  the  deal  with  him,  but  they  did  not  have 
robes  enough  on  hand  to  load  the  train.  They  then  in- 
quired, how  long  it  would  take  the  train  to  get  there. 
The  Capt.  said,  he  thought  it  would  take  about  twenty 
five  days;  Col.  Bent  then  turned  to  me  and  said,  *'Mr. 
Drannan,  will  you  take  a  pack  train  and  go  among  the 
Indians  and  trade  for  robes  for  us.?" 

I  said,  ''Yes,  I  will."  He  asked  how  many  days  it 
would  take  to  go  to  the  Indian  village  and  get  back.  I 
answered,  **Togo  to  the  main  Indian  village  and  do  the 
trading  and  get  back  here  will  take  fourteen  or  fifteen 
days." 

Col.  Bent  asked  me,  if  I  thought  I  could  take  twenty 
pack  horses  and  go  to  the  Indian  village  and  trade  for 
and  load  them  up  with  the  help  of  two  men  and  get  back 
to  the  Fort  in  fifteen  days.  I  told  him,  I  thought  I  could 
and  was  willing  to  try  it  any  way.  *'But,  Col.,  I  want  you 
to  send  the  quickest  and  best  packers  in  your  employ  to 
help  me.  **He  answered,  *T  have  two  men  that  are  num- 
ber one  packers,  and  you  can  rely  on  them  in  every  par- 
ticular."  I  said,  -'AH  right,  we  will  be  ofl  tomorrow 
morning. " 

We  commenced  to  pack  the  goods  that  I  was  to  trade 
for  the  Buffalo  robes  which  consisted  of  knives,  rings  and 
beads.  We  put  each  kind  in  boxes  by  themselves. 
When  I  thought  we  had  enough  packed  to  trade  for  what 
robes  the  horses  could  carry  Col.  Bent  said,  * 'Here,  Will, 


LITTLE   GIFTS.  ti^ 

take  some  more,"  and  he  threw  several  knives  and  some 
rings,  and  a  bunch  of  beads  into  one  of  the  boxes,  **May 
be  you  will  want  a  few  to  give  some  of  the  squaws  that 
are  such  friends  to  you  down  there.  Such  little  gifts 
are  never  lost  among  the  Indians,  you  know,  Will." 

Col.  Bent  then  sent  some  of  his  men  out  to  gather  up 
the  pack  horses,  so  he  could  pick  out  enough  for  a 
train. 

The  next  morning  Capt.  McKee  said,  he  wanted  to 
have  a  talk  with  me  when  I  was  at  leisure.  I  ssid,  *'Now 
is  your  time,  Capt."  So  we  started  out  for  a  walk.  We 
walked  in  silence,  the  Capt.  seemed  to  be  thinking.  At 
last  he  said.  *  'Mr.  Drannan,  have  you  made  any  definite 
arrangements  with  Col.  Chivinton  regarding  taking  the 
train  through  the  Comanche  country.^"  I  answered,  ''No 
sir,  I  have  not." 

**What  will  you  charge  him  if  you  take  the  job?" 

I  said,  *'Capt.  I  am  not  anxious  to  take  the  job,  but  if 
I  take  it,  I  shall  charge  five  hundred  dollars  for  my  ser- 
vices this  time,  and  I  would  like  you  to  tell  the  Col.  so 
when  you  go  back  to  Santa  Fe.  I  think  this  amount 
will  be  very  reasonable  from  the  fact  that  there  will  be 
no  more  expense.  If  he  had  to  feed  forty  or  fifty  men  and 
pay  them  wages  besides  he  would  find  quite  a  difference 
and  after  all  they  would  be  no  protection  to  the  train, 
and  they  and  the  drivers  also  would  be  scalped  before 
they  had  passed  one  Indian  village.  So  taking  all  things 
into  consideration  I  think  that  Col.  Chivinton  acted  rath- 


284  A   NEW   PROPOSITION. 

er  close  with  me,  more  close  than  I  shall  allow  him  to 
do  again/'  Capt.  McKee  said,  that  he  thought  my 
charges  were  very  modest,  and  he  continued,  * 'There  is 
another  Ihing  I  want  to  talk  to  you  about,  provided  you 
go  with  this  train.  What  do  you  propose  doing  when 
you  come  back.^" 

I  answered,  **I  am  open  for  anything  that*  is  honorable 
and  has  enough  money  in  it  to  pay  me.'* 

He  said,  **I  intended  to  make  up  a  company  soon  to 
go  down  on  the  Pan  Handle  country  in  Texas,  and  I  ex- 
pect to  go  down  as  far  as  Fort  Worth.  I  would  like  you 
to  join  me.  What  do  you  think  of  the  idea,  Mr.  Drann- 
an.>" 

**What  is  your  object  in  going  down  there,  Capt."  I  ask- 
ed. He  said,  "Western  Texas  is  settling  up  very  fast, 
and  the  Apache  Indians  are  very  bad  there.  They  are 
murdering  the  white  people  every  day  and  something 
must  be  done  to  protect  them  from  the  Red  frinds.  I 
have  seen  enough  of  your  methods  with  the  Indians  to 
satisfy  me  that  you  understand  them,  and  how  to  manage 
them  better  than  any  one  I  have  ever  met  with,  and  I 
am  sure  you  would  suit  me  better  than  any  one  that  I 
know.  If  you  will  join  me  in  this  undertaking  the  state 
of  Texas  will  pay  us  well  for  what  we  do  towards  protect- 
ing the  settlers.  I  believe  the  Apache  Indians  are  the 
most  vicious  as  well  as  the  most  treacherous  of  any  tribe 
of  Indians  that  ever  infested  the  frontier  from  the  fact 
that  they  are  so  mixed  with  the  Mexicans  and  never  have 


'•I'll  come  to  you. 


285 


been  conquered.'* 

I  said,  ''Capt.  McKee,  if  I  take  the  train  back,  and  you 
are  not  gone  when  I  come  back  here  I  will  join  you  in 
this  trip  to  Texas,  or  if  you  will  leave  word  where  I  can 
find  you  if  it  is  within  two  or  three  hundred  miles  of  here 
I  will  come  to  you. " 

We  turned  back  to  the  Fort  with  the  understanding 
that,  in  case  he  left  the  Fort  without  me  he  would  leave 
word  where  I  could  come  to  him. 


CHAPTER  VIII 


The  next  morning  my  packers  and  myself  were  up 
early  and  ready  to  be  of!  for  the  Indian  village.  I  told 
the  boys  to  be  sure  and  take  a  plenty  of  rope  as  all  the 
hides  would  have  to  be  baled  before  they  could  be  packed 
on  the  horses.  One  man  said,  *'I  have  four  sacks  full  of 
rope,  and  I  reckon  that  will  be  enough." 

Col.  Bent  asked  me  how  many  hides  I  thought  I  could 
pack  on  the  horses.  I  told  him  I  could  put  twenty 
hides  on  each  horse  and  that  would  make  four  hundred 
and  forty  hides  in  all.  He  said,  **That  would  be  a  big 
ioad,  and  I  am  afraid  you  cannot  do  it.  Besides  it  is 
early  in  the  season  for  the  Indians  to  have  so  many  robes. 
But  do  the  best  you  can,  and  I  shall  be  satisfied."  I  bid 
the  Col.  and  Capt.  McKee  good  bye,  and  we  were  off. 

The  second  night  out  we  camped  near  a  little  village. 
I  told  the  boys  to  get  supper,  and  I  would  go  over  to  the 
village,  and  have  a  talk  with  the  Indians.     As  soon   as 

(286) 


The  next  morning  we  struck  the  trail  for  Bent's  Fort. — Page  291. 


THE    BIG   chief's    SMILE.  289 

the  Indians  saw  me  they  thought  I  had  come  to  trade 
with  them.  I  told  them,  that  I  was  on  the  way  to  the 
main  village,  and  for  them  to  come  there  tomorrow,  and 
I  would  be  ready  to  trade  with  them. 

We  landed  at  the  main  village  about  noon  the  next 
day,  making  the  trip  in  a  half  a  day  less  than  I  had  plan- 
ned to  do.  We  camped  near  the  old  Chief's  lodge.  The 
boys  commenced  to  get  dinner,  and  I  took  the  two  knives 
that  I  had  promised  the  Chief  and  went  to  his  wigwam. 
I  greeted  him  with  a  hand  shake  and  handed  him  the 
knives,  wrapped  in  a  paper.  He  opened  the  package, 
and  I  never  saw  such  a  smile  on  a  face  before  as  the  one 
that  beamed  on  that  Indian's.  He  examined  the  knives 
carefully  and  then  he  told  me  how  proud  he  was  of  them 
and  said  in  his  own  language  he  always  be  white  bro- 
ther's friend. 

I  told  him  that  I  would  be  ready  to  trade  with  his  peo- 
ple the  next  morning  and  asked  him  to  inform  them  of 
the  fact. 

The  boys  had  dinner  ready  when  I  went  back  to  our 
camp.  I  told  the  boys  when  I  would  commence  to  trade 
with  the  Indians,  and  that  I  wanted  them  to  be  in  readi- 
ness to  begin  packing  the  robes  as  soon  as  the  Indians 
gave  them  to  me. 

That  afternoon  I  went  around  among  the  wigwams 
and  visited  the  Indians,  and  they  seemed  as  pleased  to 
see  me  as  children  are  with  a  new  toy.  I  showed  the 
squaws  the  rings  and  beads  I  had  with  me,  and  I  showed 


290  TWO    RINGS    FOR   A    BUFFALO    ROBES. 

the  knives  to  the  braves  also,  and  they  could  hardly  wait 
until  morning  to  trade  their  Buffalo  robes  for  them. 

The  squaws  showed  me  the  robes  they  had  dressed 
since  I  was  there  the  last  time,  and  I  saw  that  they  were 
in  a  fine  condition. 

The  next  morning  they  commenced  coming  very  early, 
hardly  giving  me  time  to  eat  my  breakfast,  and  I  fixed 
my  price  when  I  bought  the  first  robe,  which  was  one 
string  of  beads  for  one  robe,  or  two  rings  or  one  butcher 
knife,  and  the  reader  can  rest  assured  that  the  Indians 
kept  me  busy  handing  out  my  goods  and  taking  the 
robes  in  payment  for  them. 

About  noon  one  of  the  packers  came  to  me  and  said, 
'•Will,  I  think  you  have  all  the  robes  the  horses  can  car- 
ry." 

I  told  him  to  count  them,  and  then  we  would  know, 
and  in  a  short  time  he  came  back  with  the  report  that  we 
had  bought  four  hundred  and  eighty  nine  robes.  I  said, 
"That  is  a  few  more  than  we  can  find  a  place  for,  is'nt 

itr 

He  said,  **I  reckon  we  can  get  them  all  on,  and  we  will 
finish  baling  as  soon  as  we  can,  but  don't  trade  for  any 
more,"  and  the  boys  certainly  did  prove  themselves  to  be 
expert  balers  as  well  as  packers. 

The  next  morning  as  they  finished  packing  a  horse  I 
had  to  hold  him,  and  so  on  until  the  horses  were  all  pack- 
ed. It  was  my  job  to  take  care  of  them,  and  when  the 
horses  were  all   ready   for  the  trail  they  surely  were  a 


**THE   REST   won't   HURT   YOU.'*  29I 

sight  to  look  at.  Each  horse  was  completely  covered, 
all  there  was  to  be  seen  of  him  was  his  head  and  his 
tail. 

The  next  morning  amidst  the  lamentations  of  the 
Indians  because  we  could  not  exchange  more  of  our 
goods  for  robes,  we  struck  the  trail  for  Bent's  Fort,  and 
we  had  the  extraordinary  good  luck  to  cover  the  distance 
in  three  days,  and  Col.  Bent,  and  Mr.  Roubidoux  were 
very  much  surprised  to  see  us,  as  well  as  pleased. 

They  did  not  expect  to  see  us  in  four  days  more,  and 
when  I  told  them  how  many  hides  we  had  brought  they 
were  more  than  pleased.  Col.  Bent  said,  *'Did  you  have 
any  goods  left  over.?" 

I  answered,  *  *Yes  sir,  almost  enough  to  have  loaded 
another  pack  train." 

He  said,  "Well,  well.  Will,  you  can  have  all  our  trading 
to  do  whenever  you  want  it. " 

I  asked  the  Col.  when  he  expected  the  train  from 
Santa  Fe.  **I  don't  think  it  will  be  here  under  four  or 
five  days,"  he  answered,  **And  I  want  you  to  make  your- 
self at  home  and  be  easy  until  the  train  comes.  You 
have  done  enough  to  lay  over  awhile,  and  the  rest  won't 
hurt  you." 

The  fourth  morning  after  this  I  was  saddling  my  horse 
to  ride  out  on  the  trail  and  see  if  I  could  see  anything  of 
the  Government  train  when  Col.  Bent  asked  me  where  I 
was  going.  I  told  him  I  was  going  to  see  if  the  train  was  in 
sight,"  and  what  is  more  important  to  me,  I  want  to  find 


292  NO   FAIR   DEALINGS. 

out  whether  I  am  going  to  escort  the  train  through  the 
Comanche  country  or  not. " 

Col.  Bent  said,  **I  thought  that  was  understood.  If  I 
thought  you  were  not  going  to  be  the  escort,  I  certainly 
would  not  trust  my  freight  with  the  train.** 

I  said,  **Col.  Bent,  I  have  not  made  any  positive  bar- 
gain with  Col.  Chiventon,  and  after  Capt.  McKee  tells 
him  what  I  said  about  the  price  I  intend  to  charge  him 
for  my  services  this  trip,  he  may  decide  not  to  employ 
me. 

Col.  Bent  said,  "Would  you  be  offended,  if  I  asked 
you  how  much  money  Col.  Chiventon  paid  you  for  that 
work.  Will.?" 

I  said,  I  would  not,  and  I  then  told  Col.  Bent  the 
whole  transaction,  and  I  also  told  him  what  I  would 
charge  to  escort  the  train  back  through  the  Comanche 
country,  and  that  I  would  take  the  whole  responsibility 
myself  without  any  helpers.  Col.  Bent  said,  "Col.  Chi- 
venton was  not  fair  to  you  in  offering  you  so  small  a  sum 
for  what  you  done  to  protect  the  Government  property, 
not  speaking  of  the  lives  you  probably  saved  from  the 
savages'  arrows  or  tomahawks,  and  I  think  you  charge  a 
very  reasonable  price  if  you  undertake  the  job  over  again 
and  you  don't  want  any  one  to  help  you,  for  they  might 
upset  all  of  your  plans  by  doing  something  to  anger  the 
Indians." 

I  answered,  *  *Well,  Cpl  I  will  SQpn  settle  the  matter 
if  I  meet  the  train,  '* 


**THE   JOB   IS   YOURS.  293 

I  then  struck  out  and  had  ridden  perhaps  ten  miles 
when  I  met  Capt.  McKee  and  the  wagon  master,  coming 
just  ahead  of  the  train. 

Capt.  McKee  said,  **Why  Mr.  Drannan,  I  thought  you 
were  at  the  Indian  villages  trading  for  Buffalo  robes.?" 

I  told  him,  that  I  had  been  to  the  Indian  village  and 
bought  all  the  robes  we  could  pack  back  to  Bent's  Fort 
and  had  been  waiting  for  the  train  to  come  four  days. 

Capt.  McKee  said,  ** And  I  expected  to  have  to  wait  for 
you  four  days."  I  said,  **Now  tell  me  what  Col.  Chiven- 
ton  had  to  say  about  my  escorting  the  train." 

The  Capt.  laughed  and  said,  ''After  the  Col.  had  stud- 
ied the  matter  over  for  about  twenty  four  hours  he  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  he  could  do  no  better  than  employ 
you.  So  the  job  is  yours,  and  Mr.  Drannan,  can  you  tell  me 
just  about  how  long  you  will  be  gone,  so  I  can  lay  my 
plans  to  meet  you  here  at  Bent's  Fort." 

I  said,  *'Capt. ,  I  want  about  twenty  five  days  to  com- 
plete the  trip,  and  as  soon  as  I  return  Capt,  I  will  be 
ready  to  join  you  in  the  expedition  to  Texas,  and  Capt.,  I 
would  like  for  you  to  bring  my  pay  here,  so  I  shall  not 
have  to  go  to  Santa  Fe  after  it  when  I  come  back  from 
escorting  the  train. " 

He  answered,  "I  will  arrange  the  matter  so  Col.  Bent 
will  settle  with  you  here.'* 

The  next  morning  Col.  Bent  had  his  men  commence 
to  load  the  train,  and  they  put  the  entire  day  in  this 
business.     That   evening  the  Col.  said   to  me,  *'Will,  if 


294  TO    CEMENT    THE    FRIENDSHIP. 

you  had  a  half  a  dozen  more  hides  we  could  not  have  put 
them  on  the  wagons." 

When  we  were  all  ready  to  pull  out  Col.  Bent  said, 
* 'Now  Will,  I  want  to  give  you  some  presents  to  give  to 
the  squaws." 

We  went  into  the  store  room,  and  he  gave  me  a  dozen 
butcher  knives,  saying,  *  *The  bucks  will  be  jealous  if  they 
don't  have  something  too,"  and  he  gave  me  a  dozen 
rings,  and  a  hand  full  of  strings  of  beads  and  said,  **Now 
Will,  you  can  give  these  trinkets  where  you  think  best 
and  the  knives  too.  I  know  the  Comanche  Indians  are 
all  friendly  to  you,  but  these  little  trifles  will  cement  their 
friendship." 

I  bid  every  body  at  the  Fort  good  bye,  and  we  were 
off  on  the  journey  east. 

Everything  passed  along  smoothly  for  the  next  two 
days.  We  did  not  see  an  Indian  and  nothing  happened  to 
interfere  with  our  progress.  The  third  evening  we  went 
into  camp  near  a  small  Indian  village.  I  rode  over  to  see 
the  Indians  and  took  a  couple  of  knives  and  a  few  rings 
and  strings  of  beads  with  me.  When  I  entered  the  village 
I  inquired  where  the  Chief's  wigwam  was.  A  couple  of 
young  bucks  showed  me  where  it  was. 

As  soon  as  I  saw  the  Chief  I  knew  him  at  once.  He 
was  * 'White  Bird, "  and  he  had  not  met  me  in  a  year,  but 
he  recognized  me  as  quickly  as  I  did  him.  He  invited  me 
into  his  wigwam  and  asked  me  to  eat  supper  with  him, 
which  was  ready  in  a  short  time.     As  we  sat  eating  two 


A   GOOD   TIME   WITH   THE    INDIANS.  295 

young  squaws  came  into  the  wigwam  and  White  Bird 
said  they  were  his  sisters.  I  took  out  a  butcher  knife 
and  gave  it  to  him,  and  I  gave  a  string  of  beads  to  his 
squaw  and  one  to  each  of  his  sisters,  they  all  jumped  up 
and  commenced  to  dance,  and  I  think  they  kept  it  up 
for  half  an  hour.  Then  White  Bird  said  in  the  langua- 
ge of  his  race,  ** White  Bird  and  all  the  Indians  of  the 
Comanche  tribe  always  be  pale  face  brother  friend." 

His  sisters  said  they  had  some  skins  of  the  young  dog 
which  they  would  tan  and  give  to  me,  so  I  could  make 
some  new  clothes  for  myself. 

The  train  pulled  out  from  here,  and  the  third  day  we 
came  to  the  main  village.  Before  the  train  went  into 
camp  for  the  night  I  told  the  wagon  boss  that  I  was  going 
to  the  Indian  village,  and  that  he  need  not  expect  to  see 
me  before  midnight  as  I  was  going  to  have  a  good  time 
with  the  Indians. 

I  gave  my  horse  into  the  herders'  care  and  struck  out 
on  foot  for  the  Indian  village  which  was  about  a  half  a 
mile  from  our  camp.  Before  I  reached  the  Chief's  wig. 
wam  I  met  several  Indians,  and  they  accompanied  me  to 
the  Chief's  lodge.  Chief  Light  Foot  saw  me  before  I 
did  him  and  commenced  to  shout  at  the  top  of  his  voice, 
and  as  I  reached  his  wigwam  the  Indians  were  coming 
from  every  quarter. 

As  soon  as  Light  Foot  and  I  had  shaken  hands  he  said, 
*'Stay  to  supper,  and  we  have  a  peace  smoke  and  peace 
dance  to  night." 


296  THE   PEACE    SMOKE   AND   DANCE. 

By  the  time  we  had  finished  that  meal  there  was  a 
dozen  or  more  of  his  uncle  Chief's  at  the  wigwam,  and 
we  took  our  places  for  the  peace  smoke. 

I  will  explain  to  the  reader  what  the  peace  smoke  is. 
We  all  took  seats  in  a  circle  around  the  head  Chief.  He 
lighted  the  peace  pipe  which  is  a  special  pipe  kept  to  use 
on  these  occasions  alone.  He  took  the  first  whif  himself 
blowing  it  up  into  the  air,  and  the  second  whif,  he  blew 
into  my  face.  I  being  his  guest  of  honor  I  sat  at  the 
right  of  him.  The  third  whif  he  blew  into  the  face  of 
the  Chief  who  sat  on  his  left  and  then  he  passed  the  pipe 
to  me.  I  went  through  the  same  performance  and  passed 
the  pipe  to  the  next,  and  so  the  pipe  went  around  the 
circle  until  all  had  smoked,  and  in  all  the  time  this  smok- 
ing was  going  on  there  was  not  a  smile  or  a  grunt  or  a 
word  spoken.  Every  motion  was  in  the  most  solemn 
way  throughout  the  whole  performance.  As  the  last  one 
finished  smoking  he  passed  the  pipe  to  the  head  Chief, 
and  all  of  the  Chiefs  sprang  to  their  feet  and  shook 
hands  with  me,  from  the  head  Chief  down  and  the 
peace  smoke  was  over. 

I  will  say  here  for  the  instruction  of  the  reader  that 
the  Indians  never  held  a  peace  smoke  with  others  than 
the  members  of  their  own  tribe,  without  they  had  perfect 
confidence  in  the  outsider,  who  always  occupied  the  seat 
of  honor  at  the  right  side  of  the  head  Chief  of  the 
tribe. 

After  the  peace  smoke   was  over   every  body  left  the 


A   WEIRD   SPECTACLE.  29/ 

wigwam  and  every  one,  Chief,  warriors,  and  squaws,  all 
joined  in  the  peace  dance,  I  of  course  taking  a  part  with 
the  rest.  I  never  knew  how  many  took  a  part  in  the 
dance  that  night,  which  is  always  danced  in  a  circle  and 
every  Indian  has  his  or  her  own  way  of  dancing,  and  all, 
old  and  young,  male  and  female  that  take  a  part  are 
singing. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  explain  to  the  people  of  this 
age  so  they  would  understand  just  what  a  peace  dance 
is  and  how  the  people  who  took  part  in  it  looked  with 
the  camp  fires  throwing  their  lurid  light  through  the  dark- 
ness of  the  forest,  lighting  up  the  savage  faces  of  the  red 
men,  and  the  not  much  less  wild  faces  of  the  squaws.  It 
was  a  strange  sight  then,  how  much  more  strange  it 
would  look  to  the  people  of  this  later  civilization. 

The  dance  lasted  half  an  hour  or  more,  and  all  the 
Indians  of  both  sexes  then  shook  hands  with  me.  I  shook 
the  Chief's  hand  last  of  all,  and  as  I  did  so,  I  gave  him 
the  other  knife,  I  had  brought  with  me.  He  took  it  and 
brandishing  it  over  his  head  he  shouted  as  loud  as  he 
could  yell  which  was  a  signal  for  all  the  others  to  yell 
too,  and  shake  their  hands  towards  me.  By  my  giving 
these  knives  to  the  head  Chief  of  the  tribe  I  cemented 
the  friendship  of  him  and  through  him  of  the  whole  tribe 
more  than  I  should  if  I  had  presented  each  one  of  his 
warriors  with  a  knife. 

Amidst  the  yells  of  the  warriors  and  their  squaws  I 
left  them    and  walked  back  to  camp,  well  satisfied  with 


298  '  *  WHAT   WAS   THE   RACKET   ABOUT?" 

what  I  had  done  towards  protecting  the  train  as  it  passed 
through  the  Comanche  country,  for  I  knew  we  would 
not  have  any  trouble  with  the  Indians  of  that  tribe. 

The  wagon  boss  and  several  of  the  drivers  were  sitting 
at  the  fire  waiting  for  me.  As  I  came  up  to  the  fire  the 
wagon  boss  said,  •* What  in  the  name  of  common  sense 
was  the  racket  about?  why,  some  of  the  time  this  evening 
there  was  such  a  noise  over  there,  that  we  could  not  hear 
ourselves  think,  much  less  talk." 

I  answered,  **Why,  I  was  just  having  a  good  dance 
with  the  squaws,  and  as  they  all  wanted  to  dance  with 
me  first,  they  made  a  little  noise  over  it.'* 

He  asked,  **How  many  squaws  were  there  in  the  dance?" 
and  I  told  him  I  reckon  there  were  about  a  thousand  in 
the  crowd. 

**And  did  you  dance  with  a  thousand  squaws?"  he  in- 
quired. 

I  answered,  **Why,  I  certainly  could  not  show  any  par- 
tiality there,  could  I.^*' 

He  said,  **Well,  if  you  have  danced  with  that  many 
squaws,  I  guess  you  are  tired  enough  to  sleep  sound. " 

So  we  bid  each  other  good  night  and  turned  in,  and  in 
a  few  moments  silence  reigned  over  the  camp. 

We  pulled  out  of  this  camp  the  next  morning  and  did 
not  see  an  Indian  for  the  next  three  days.  On  the  third 
evening  as  we  were  getting  ready  to  camp  for  the  night 
I  discovered  a  small  band  of  Indians  coming  directly  to- 
wards us.      I  told  the  wagon    master  where  to  corral  the 


TEN  DOLLARS  FROM  EACH  MAN.         299 

train,  and  I  then  left  him  and  rode  on  to  meet  the  Ind- 
ians. As  I  drew  near  them,  I  saw  that  I  knew  them  all. 
They  were  a  small  band  of  Comanches,  and  when  I  met 
them  they  told  me  that  they  had  been  on  a  visit  to  the 
Kiowa  tribe  and  were  hurrying  to  get  back  to  the  main 
Comanche  village.  I  told  them  of  the  peace  dance  I 
took  a  part  in  at  the  main  village  a  few  nights  before, 
and  they  expressed  much  regret  that  they  had  missed 
the  fun. 

I  asked  them  if  there  were  many  more  of  their  tribe 
down  the  country  they  had  come  from.  They  answered, 
'*No  more  Comanches  thatway,allgone  to  village,  "which 
proved  to  be  a  fact,  for  we  did  not  see  another  Coman- 
che Indian  on  this  trip. 

I  remained  with  the  train  four  days  after  this  and  see- 
ing that  my  services  were  no  longer  needed  I  told  the 
wagon  master  that  the  train  was  out  of  danger,  as  we 
had  passed  through  the  Comanche  country,  and  there 
would  be  nothing  to  interfere  with  their  progress,  so  I 
would  leave  them  the  next  morning. 

In  the  morning  when  the  wagon  boss  told  the  men 
that  I  was  going  to  leave  them,  a  number  of  them  came 
to  me  and  insisted  on  my  taking  at  least  ten  dollars  from 
each  of  them  in  payment  for  the  bargain  I  had  made  with 
the  Comanche  Chief  regarding  the  passage  of  the  train 
on  it's  way  to  Santa  Fe. 

Of  course,  I  did  not  accept  their  hard  earned  money. 
I  told  them    that    I  was  glad  of  the  privilege   of   saving 


300  WILL   WAS    QUICKER   THAN    THE    CHIEF, 

their  lives    and  besides  the    Government   would  pay  me 
for  my  services. 

Cook  John  had  a  nice  sack  of  bread  ready  for  me,  and 
I  accepted  his  gift  gladly.  I  bid  them  all  good  bye  and 
struck  out  for  Bent's  Fort,  audit  was  about  as  lonesome 
a  journey  as  I  ever  made  in  my  life.  I  avoided  the  Ind- 
ian villages  when  I  could,  for  I  knew  that  the  Indians 
would  take  more  of  my  time  than  I  could  spare  if  I  stop- 
ped at  all. 

I  made  a  rule  with  myself  when  I  first  left  the  train  to 
ride  eight  hours  and  then  stop  and  let  my  horse  rest  and 
feed  four  hours.  This  rule  I  followed  day  and  night, 
except  a  few  times  I  overslept,  but  I  gave  my  horse  his 
feed  and  rest  just  the  same,  and  I  was  back  at  Bent's 
Fort  on  the  twenty  third  day  after  leaving  there  with  the 
train. 

The  next  morning  after  I  got  there  Capt.  McKee  ar- 
rived, and  he  was  very  much  surprised  to  find  me  there 
before  him.  He  had  made  arrangements  for  Col.  Bent 
to  pay  me  for  piloting  the  train  through  the  Comanche 
country,  and  Col.  Bent  settled  with  me  that  day.  The 
next  morning  Capt.  McKee  and  I  began  our  preparations 
for  our  journey  to  Texas.  He  had  thirty  two  men  with 
him  when  he  came  to  the  fort  and  eight  more  joined  us 
there,  making  forty  in  all.  Each  man  had  two  saddle 
horses  and  there  was  one  pack  horse  to  every  four  men. 
Everything  being  ready  we  left  Bent's  Fort  on  what 
would  be  considered  in  these  days  of  rapid  transit  a  long 


ONE    MAN    WAS    KILLED.  3OI 

and  tiresome  journey  on  horse  back,  over  trackless 
mountains  and  plains  through  valleys,  across  rivers,  in 
danger  of  attacks  from  wild  animals  and  still  wilder  red 
men. 

I  think  we  traveled  between  four  and  five  hundred 
miles  without  seeing  a  white  person.  We  camped  and 
lay  over  one  day  to  give  our  horses  rest  where  the  thriv- 
ing little  city  of  Amarilla  now  stands.  At  that  time  we 
had  no  idea  that  vast  prairie  would  ever  be  inhabited 
by  the  white  race.  That  part  of  Texas  was  the  greatest 
country  for  Antelope  at  the  time  I  am  speaking  of  that 
I  had  ever  seen.  Some  days  we  saw  a  thousand  or  more 
Antelope  in  one  drove. 

We  now  began  to  see  plenty  of  Indian  signs  all  along 
where  we  traveled.  There  were  no  roads  or  trails  to 
guide  us.  We  had  traveled  down  what  is  now  called  the 
Han  Handle  country,  to  where  the  city  of  Bowie  now 
stands,  before  we  saw  a  white  person  after  we  left  Bent's 
Fort.  We  met  three  men  there.  They  were  going 
around  through  the  country  hunting  for  men  to  assist 
them  to  look  after  a  settlement  that  had  been  attacked 
by  the  Indians  the  night  before.  They  did  not  know 
what  tribe  had  made  the  attack.  Capt.  McKee  said, 
**We  vvill  go  with  you  and  assist  you  if  you  will  lead  us  to 
the  place." 

We  all  struck  out  with  the  men,  and  after  riding  per- 
haps five  miles,  we  came  to  the  settlement  and  found 
that  one  man  had  been  killed  and  all  the  horses  and  cat- 


302  RED   DEVILS. 

tie  belonging  to  the  people  had  been  driven  off. 

Capt.  McKee  asked,  if  they  knew  what  tribe  of  Indians 
had  made  the  attack.  They  answered,  that  they  did  not 
know,  as  it  was  very  dark  when  the  Indians  first  came, 
and  they  could  not  see  them,  but  they  had  a  skirmish 
with  them,  and  one  man  was  killed,  and  the  Indians  drove 
the  horses  and  cattle  off  in  a  southerly  direction.  The 
Capt.  asked  me  if  I  thought  it  would  be  best  to  follow 
the  savages  and  try  to  take  the  horses  and  cattle  away 
from  them. 

I  said,  **Capt.,  these  people  have  lost  everything  they 
had  to  depend  on  to  get  a  living,  and  what  will  they  do 
if  some  one  does  not  do  something  to  help  them.?  And 
all  the  way  to  do  that  is  to  get  their  horses  and  cattle  and 
return  them  to  the  owners." 

He  answered,  **Well,  if  you  will  take  the  lead  and  do 
the  scout  work  we  will  strike  the  trail  of  the  Red  devils 
at  once." 

I  said,  **A11  right,  Capt.,  you  pick  out  two  good  men 
to  assist  me,  and  we  will  be  off  at  once,  for  the  sooner 
we  are  after  them  the  quicker  we  may  overhaul  the  Red 
murdering  thieves. " 

In  a  few  minutes  the  Capt,  came  to  me  and  with  him 
were  two  men.  He  said,  *  'These  men  say  they  are  will- 
ing to  do  all  they  can  to  help."  I  said,  **I  will  take  the 
lead,  and  don't  you  pay  any  attention  to  my  movements. 
You  take  the  trail  and  follow  it  as  long  as  you  can  see  it 
and  when  it  is  too  dark  to  see,  go  into  camp,  and  if  I  lo- 


AT   THE   REPORT   OF   A   GUN.  3O3 

cate  the  Indians  whether  they  are  in  camp  or  on  the 
move  I  will  inform  you  at  once.'* 

It  was  in  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  when  we  pulled 
out  on  the  trail  of  the  Indians.  After  following  them 
eight  or  ten  miles  I  decided  in  my  mind  that  there  were 
not  more  than  forty   Indians  in  the  band  we  were  after. 

I  said,  **Now  boys,  if  we  catch  these  Indians  in  camp 
we  can  wipe  them  out  and  not  leave  one  of  them  to  tell 
the  tale.  We  have  a  bright  moon  to  night,  and  their 
trail  is  so  fresh  and  plain  there  will  be  no  trouble  in  fol- 
lowing it. 

One  man  asked,  if  I  thought  we  could  overtake  the 
Indians  in  their  first  camp.  I  answered,  *'I  think  we 
can,  for  the  Indians  will  have  no  fear  of  being  followed 
and  will  not  be  in  a  hurry  and  will  be  off  their  guard." 

We  pushed  on  until  about  eleven  o'clock  in  the  night 
when  we  rode  up  on  a  little  ridge,  and  on  looking  down 
in  the  valley  beyond  we  saw  several  camp  fires,  but  they 
were  burning  very  dimly. 

I  said,  **Boys,  there  are  your  Indians,  and  I  want  one 
of  you  to  stay  here  and  hold  the  horses,  and  the  other 
to  go  with  me,  and  we  will  investigate  the  matter,"  and 
said  to  the  man  that  we  left  with  the  horses,  **If  you 
hear  the  report  of  a  gun  mount  your  horse  and  lead 
ours  to  us  at  once,  for  the  gun  shot  will  be  a  signal  that 
we  are  in  trouble  and  want  you  to  assist  us. 

My  companion  and  I  crawled  down  near  the  camp 
fires,  and  we  saw  that  all  the  Indians  were  lying  around 


304  A   SOUND   BROKE   THE   STILLNESS. 

the  fires,  asleep,  but  they  were  scattered  about  so  thai  I 
could  not  count  them. 

I  whispered  to  my  companion,  ''Now  let  us  find  the 
stock." 

We  crept  down  a  little  further  and  found  the  horses 
and  cattle  all  feeding  quietly,  and  they  were  all  bunched 
up  together.  We  went  back  to  the  man  who  had  the 
horses.  I  told  him  to  mount  his  horse  and  take  the  trail 
back  until  he  met  Capt.  McKee  and  to  tell  him  what  we 
had  found,  and  if  it  was  possible  for  him  to  get  here  by 
daybreak  to  do  so,  **for  if  we  can  all  be  together  before 
day  light,  I  think  we  can  capture  the  whole  outfit  with- 
out losing  a  man." 

He  mounted  his  horse  and  was  off  at  once.  He  had 
been  gone  perhaps  an  hour,  and  my  comrade  and  I  were 
sitting  talking,  when  he  raised  his  hand  and  said,  ''Hush, 
I  hear  something." 

"What  did  it  sound  like.^^"  I  said. 

"Like  a  horse  snorting,"  and  he  pointed  up  the  trail 
the  way  the  Capt.  should  come*  We  sprang  to  our  feet 
and  listened,  and  in  a  minute  more  we  heard  the  tramp 
of  the  horses*  feet.  We  quickly  mounted  our  horses  and 
went  to  meet  them.  I  told  the  Capt.  what  we  had  found 
and  what  position  the  Indians  were  in. 

He  said,  "Mr.  Drannan,  what  do  you  think  is  the  best 
way  to  attack  them.?"  I  answered,  "It  is  the  easiest 
thing  to  do  imaginable  Capt.,  if  we  only  work  the  thing 
right.     Dismount  all   but  ten  of  the    men,    and   we  will 


A   CRAWL   DOWNHILL.  30$ 

crawl  down  and  surround  the  Indians  and  not  fire  a  shot 
until  daybreak  or  till  they  commence  getting  up,  and 
when  we,  that  are  on  foot,  commence  firing,  the  ten  on 
horseback  must  charge  down  the  hill,  and  if  any  of  the 
Indians  escape  our  bullets  the  mounted  men  must  follow 
them  and  shoot  them  down.  When  the  Indians  find 
that  the  Whites  are  after  them  they  will  make  a  rush  for 
their  horses  and  that  is  the  time  for  the  mounted  men  to 
get  their  work  in. 

The  Capt.  thought  a  few  minutes  and  then  said,  **I 
believe  your  plan  is  a  grand  idea,  and  we  will  follow 
it." 

He  selected  the  ten  men  and  then  asked  me  where  he 
should  place  them.  I  showed  him  where  I  thought  was 
the  best  place  for  them  to  stand.  I  then  pointed  to  the 
place  where  the  stock  was  still  feeding,  and  said,  *'Now 
boys,  when  you  make  your  charge  on  the  Indians,  charge 
down  between  the  stock  and  the  fires,  and  by  doing  so 
you  will  catch  the  Indians,  as  they  run  for  their  horses, 
and  be  sure  and  get  every  one  of  them,  don't  let  one  get 
away.  '* 

Every  thing  being  understood  we,  that  were  on  foot, 
commenced  to  crawl  down  towards  the  sleeping  Indians' 
camp.  The  day  was  just  beginning  to  break  when  we 
got  fixed  in  our  positions  around  them,  and  it  was  nearly 
sun  rise  before  any  of  the  savages  crawled  out  of  their 
blankets.  As  soon  as  the  first  one  got  out,  we  shot  him 
down,  and  we  continued  to  shoot  as  long  as  an  Indian  re- 


306  VICTORY. 

mained  alive.  The  men  on  horseback  gave  a  yell  and 
made  the  charge.  When  they  reached  Capt.  McKee  one 
of  the  horsemen  said,  ** Where  is  our  part  of  the  fight. 
We  did'nt  get  any  chance  to  fire  a  shot," 

The  Capt.  answered,  *  'It  is  all  over  boys,  you  will 
have  to  wait  for  the  next  time  for  your  shot,  for  I  do  not 
think  one  of  this  band  is  alive  for  you  to  shoot  at.  It 
was  one  of  the  quickest  won  battles  I  was  ever  engaged 
in,"  and  turning  to  me  the  Capt.  said,  **Mr.  Drannan, 
you  ought  to  join  the  army,  for  you  would  make  a  first 
class  General,  and  I  am  sure  would  always  lead  your  men 
to  victory  in  Indian  war  fare  any  way." 

We  now  let  our  horses  down  to  the  Indian  camp  and 
staked  them  out  to  get  their  breakfast  from  the  juicy  grass 
that  was  very  abundant  in  the  valley,  and  then  we  began 
to  think  that  we  were  very  hungry  ourselves.  We  had 
not  had  a  bite  to  eat  since  the  morning  before,  and  the 
hard  days  ride,  and  no  supper,  and  the  all  night  vigil  had 
about  used  us  up. 

Capt.  McKee  said,  ''Come  boys  let's  get  some  break- 
fast, for  I  for  one  am  nearly  starved,  and  we  will  lay 
over  here  until  tomorrow  morning  and  let  our  horses 
rest  and  get  a  little  rest  ourselves." 

After  we  had  satisfied  our  hunger  with  a  slice  of  An- 
telope, broiled  over  the  fire,  and  some  bread  and  a  cup 
of  coffee,  Capt.  McKee  said  to  me,  *  'Let  us  look  around 
and  see  how  many  dead  Indians  we  can  find." 

We  struck  out  together,  and  we  counted  thirty  eight 


COUNTING   THE   BOOTY.  307 

and  not  one  of  them  had  got  ten  feet  from  where  he  had 
slept,  and  all  their  blankets  lay  just  as  they  had  crawled 
out  of  them. 

I  said  at  the  time,  and  I  think  now,  that  that,  was 
the  most  accurate  shooting  and  with  the  least  excite- 
ment of  any  Indian  fight  I  was  ever  in.  It  seemed  as 
if  every  man  was  as  cool  as  if  he  was  shooting  at  prairie 
dogs,  and  every  shot  hit  the  mark.  We  did  not  touch 
the  dead  Indians  but  left  them  as  a  warning  to  others 
who  might  come  that  way.  We  next  looked  after  the 
stock.  By  examining  the  horses  we  found  that  they  tal- 
lied with  the  number  of  Indians,  for  every  horse  that  be- 
longed to  the  Indians  had  a  hair  rope  around  his  neck, 
which  was  a  custom  followed  by  all  the  Western  Indians 
at  that  time,  as  by  marking  a  half  hitch  around  the 
horses*  nose  he  made  a  bridle  of  it. 

We  found  twenty  two  horses  and  thirty  two  head  of 
cattle  that  the  Indians  had  stolen  from  the  white  settlers. 
Capt.  McKee  looked  the  horses  over  that  had  belonged 
to  the  Indians  and  said,  *  Those  are  the  most  valuable 
horses  that  I  ever  saw  in  the  possesion  of  the  Indians. 
They  are  all  good  stock,  and  we  will  get  a  good  price  for 
them  if  we  take  them  to  Fort  Worth,  for  good  horses 
bring  good  money  there." 

When  we  returned  to  camp  we  saw  that  two  of  the 
young  men  had  their  horses  saddled.  The  Capt.  asked 
them  where  they  were  going.  One  of  them  answered 
that,  as  they  did  not  earn  any  of  the  honor  that  morning 


308  THE   NEXT   DAY. 

in  killing  Indians  they  would  try  to  kill  some  deer  for  sup- 
per, as  they  knew  they  would  enjoy  a  piece  of  good,  fat 
venison,  and  thought  the  others  would,  and  they  believed 
there  was  plenty  of  deer  all  around  here. 

Capt.  McKee  and  I  spread  our  blankets  and  laid  down 
to  try  and  make  up  for  some  of  the  sleep  we  had  lost 
while  in  pursuit  of  the  Indians. 

About  three  o'clock  one  of  the  boys  came  and  woke  us 
up,  saying  they  had  some  fine  venison  all  cooked  and 
ready  for  supper,  and  that  was  one  of  the  times  that  I 
enjoyed  a  vension  roast.  It  was  as  fat  and  tender  as  a 
young  chicken. 

The  next  morning  we  pulled  out  of  here  bright  and 
early,  and  it  took  us  two  days  to  make  it  back  to  the  set- 
tlement that  the  Indians  had  robbed  and  in  whose  behalf 
Capt.  McKee  and  I  had  gone  out  to  punish  the  thieves; 
with  what  success  the  reader  already  knows. 

As  soon  as  we  landed  we  sent  word  to  all  that  had 
been  robbed  to  come  and  get  their  stock.  Each  owner 
came  and  claimed  what  belonged  to  him,  and  when  all 
had  taken  what  they  said  belonged  to  them  there  were 
still  four  horses  left  unclaimed.  These  horses  we  never 
found  an  owner  for,  so  we  kept  them  ourselves.  The 
settlers  whose  property  we  had  returned  to  them  now 
met  and  came  to  find  out  how  much  we  intended  to 
charge  them  for  what  we  had  done  for  them.  We  knew 
that  these  people  were  all  poor,  and  we  told  them,  that 
they  might  give  us  what  they  could  afford  to  pay  without 


THE  SETTLERS'  APPRECIATION.  309 

distressing  themselves.  They  made  up  one  hundred  and 
forty  four  dollars  and  gave  it  to  us  which  was  a  much 
larger  sum  than  we  expected  to  receive.  After  thanking 
them  for  their  generous  payment  and  refusing  their  invi- 
tation to  stay  with  them  longer  we  bid  them  all  good 
bye  and  continued  on  our  journey  to  Fort  Worth  which 
had  been  interrupted  by  the  Indian  raid  on  the  settlement. 

We  had  ridden  to  within  ten  miles  or  so  of  Fort  Worth 
when  we  met  an  old  acquaintance  of  Capt.  McKee.  His 
name  was  Reese.  There  were  two  other  men  with  him, 
and  they  all  three  wanted  to  purchase  horses.  They  ex- 
amined all  the  horses  we  had  and  then  they  asked  Capt. 
McKee  what  we  would  take  for  the  entire  lot.  The  Capt. 
asked  me  what  I  thought  would  be  a  fair  price.  I  ans- 
wered, -'Let  the  men  make  an  offer  before  we  set  a  price. " 

When  the  Capt  asked  them  what  they  would  give  for 
them,  they  said  they  would  give  a  hundred  dollars  apiece 
for  them  if  we  would  help  them  drive  the  horses  to  Dallas. 

I  told  the  men,  that  we  would  let  them  have  the  whole 
bunch  and  help  drive  them  to  Dallas  for  a  hundred  and 
ten  dollars  apiece.  The  three  men  rode  off  a  few  yards 
and  consulted  together  a  few  minutes,  when  they  came 
back  and  said  they  would  take  the   horses  on  my   terms. 

Capt  McKee  then  told  his  men  to  go  onto  Fort  Worth 
and  go  into  camp,  and  he  told  them  where  to  camp  and 
to  wait  for  us  and  we  would  come  to  them  as  soon  as  we 
could.  The  Capt.  then  told  Mr.  Reese  to  lead  on  and 
we  would  follow. 


3IO  AT    FORT   WORTH. 

We  drove  the  horses  to  Dallas  without  any  trouble 
and  delivered  them  at  Mr.  Reese's  stable.  He  paid  us 
the  money  for  them,  and  we  lost  no  time  in  pulling  out 
for  Fort  Worth.  It  is  thirty  two  miles  from  Dallas  to 
Fort  Worth,  and  we  passed  two  houses  on  the  way  from 
there  to  Fort  Worth  at  the  time  of  which  I  am  writing. 
I  think  there  were  about  fifty  houses  in  Fort  Worth.  I  do 
not  know  the  number  there  were  at  Dallas.  The  place 
was  some  what  larger,  but  it  was  a  small  town. 


I  took  the  lead.— Page  317. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

When  we  reached  Fort  Worth  the  news  met  us  that 
the  Indians  were  on  the  war  path  in  western  Texas  and 
were  raiding  all  the  white  settlements,  killing  the  people 
and  drivnig  off  their  stock  throughout  all  that  part  of  the 
state. 

We  laid  in  a  supply  of  provisions,  and  tobacco  enough 
to  last  three  months  and  struck  the  trail  for  western  Tex- 
as. The  fourth  day  after  we  left  Fort  Worth  we  came  to 
a  settlement  and  all  the  people  were  natives  of  Tennes- 
see, and  as  that  was  my  native  state,  I  soon  made  many 
friends. 

The  people  of  the  settlement  had  met  together  that 
morning  to  try  to  plan  someway  to  stop  the  depredations 
of  the  Indians,  but  they  did  not  know  what  to  do  or 
where  to  commence  and  they  were  glad  to  see  the  Capt., 
he  being  well  known  as  an  Indian  fighter  all  over  Tex- 
as. 

(313) 


3X4  ON   THE  WAR   PATH. 

When  they  asked  him  what  he  thought  best  to  be  done 
he  said,  that  he  could  not  advise  them  what  to  do,  but 
he  had  come  to  that  part  of  the  State  to  protect  the  set- 
tlements from  the  outrages  of  the  savages  for  the  next  six 
months. 

We  rode  to  the  edge  of  the  settlement  and  went  into 
camp,  thinking  we  would  stay  there  until  towards  even- 
ing. We  had  just  eaten  our  dinner  when  two  of  the  set- 
tlers came  to  our  camp,  and  in  a  very  exited  manner  told 
us  that  a  small  band  of  Indians  had  just  gone  into  camp 
a  few  miles  from  the  settlement. 

We  asked  them  how  they  got  the  news.  They  said, 
that  two  of  the  men  had  been  out  hunting  and  saw  the 
Indians  when  they  went  into  camp. 

We  told  these  men  to  go  and  bring  the  men  who  saw 
the  Indians*  camp,  so  we  could  get  all  the  particulars 
from  them.  In  a  few  moments  the  hunters  were  with  us. 
I  asked  them  how  far  the  Indians'  camp  was  from  the  set- 
tlement. 

**Not  over  five  miles,"  one  of  them  said.  I  asked 
which  way  the  Indians  came  from  and  if  there  were  any 
squaws  with  them.  The  answer  was  that  the  Indians 
came  from  an  eastern  direction  and  there  were  no  squaws 
with  them,  and  they  were  driving  quite  a  large  band  of 
horses. 

Capt.  McKee  said  to  me,  **What  do  you  think  of  iti*" 

I  said,  '*Capt.  I  am  afraid,  they  will  move  again  before 
night,    but  I  want  one  of  these  men  to  go  and  show  me 


GETTING   POSTED.  315 

where  the   Indians  are,  and  I   will  locate   their  camp  to 
night,  and  we  can  get  every  one  of  them   and  the  horses 

too." 

Capt.  McKee  said,  **That  is  a  good  idea.  How  many 
men  do  you  want  to  go  with  you.^" 

I  said,  *  *Give  me  the  two  men  that  went  with  me  on  the 
other  Indian  hunt." 

In  a  little  while  my  men  and  I  were  off.  I  told  the 
Capt.,  to  stay  in  that  camp  until  he  heard  from  me, 
which  would  be  before  dark. 

We  rode  between  four  and  five  miles,  when  we  came 
to  a  little  ridge  and  stopping  and  pointing  to  a  little 
bunch  of  timber,  my  guard  said,  **The  Indians'  camp  is 
there." 

We  dismounted  and  taking  one  man  with  me  I  crawl- 
ed to  the  top  of  the  hill  and  looked  over,  and  sure  enough 
there  was  a  small  band  of  Indians  squatted  around  their 
camp  fire,  smoking  and  talking  and  apparently  not  fear- 
ing any  danger. 

I  told  my  companion  to  count  them,  and  I  would  count 
too,  and  we  might  find  out  how  many  there  were.  I 
crawled  around  in  the  brush  keeping  out  of  sight,  and  I 
counted  forty  eight,  and  my  men  made  out  fifty  one.  We 
crept  along  on  the  ridge  to  see  if  we  could  find  out 
how  many  horses  the  Indians  had  with  them,  but  we 
could  not  count  them  although  I  was  satisfied  that  there 
w^re  at  least  a  hundred  horses  feeding  in  the  valley. 
Some  few  of  them  were  staked  out  but  the  most  of  them 


Z'i6  RUSB. 

ivere  feeding  where  they  chose. 

We  went  back  to  our  horses,  and  I  told  the  boys  to 
take  the  horses  to  a  little  ravine  which  was  a  short  dis- 
tance from  us  and  to  find  a  place  where  they  could  not 
be  seen  and  to  stay  with  them  until  they  heard  from  me, 
for  I  intended  to  watch  the  Indians,  and  if  they  did  not 
move  before  sundown  I  would  send  one  of  them  to  the 
Capt. 

I  went  back  to  the  edge  of  the  ridge  where  I  could  see 
the  savages  and  watch  their  movements.  They  sat  and 
lay  around  on  the  grass  until  nearly  sunset  when  a  few 
of  them  went  to  the  horses  that  were  staked  out  and  com- 
menced to  move  them  to  fresh  places  to  feed  which  con- 
vinced me  that  they  intended  to  stay  where  they  were 
that  night.  I  crept  down  the  ridge  to  the  ravine  where 
the  boys  were  with  our  horses  and  told  one  of  them  to 
go  back  to  Capt.  McKee  and  tell  him  we  had  found  the 
Indian  camp,  and  that  the  Indians  intended  to  stay  the 
night  where  they  were,  and  that  I  wanted  him  and  tne 
rest  of  the  men  to  come  to  me,  but  not  before  ten  or 
eleven  o'clock  that  night. 

The  other  man  and  I  led  our  horses  further  up  the 
ridge  and  hitched  them,  and  we  then  crawled  to  the 
top  where  we  could  watch  the  Indians  and  not  be  seen 
by  them.  It  was  not  nine  o'clock  before  all  the  savages 
had  turned  in  for  the  night.  Seeing  that  we  could  now 
leave  the  Indians  to  their  slumbers  in  safety  my  compan- 
ion and  I  now  mounted  our  horses  and  struck  out  to  meet 


ANOTHER   FIGHT.  31/ 

the  Capt.  and  his  men.  We  had  ridden  perhaps  a  mile 
when  we  met  the  company.  I  told  Capt.  McKee  how 
many  Indians  there  were  in  the  band  and  how  many 
horses  they  had  with  them.  He  said,  **Can  we  take  as 
good  advantage  of  this  outfit  as  we  did  of  the  other  one?" 

I  said,  **I  think  we  can,  only  there  are  more  of  them 
to  fight  in  this  band,  but  as  far  as  the  ground  is  concern- 
ed we  have  all  the  advantage,  and  we  had  better  station 
ourselves  around  them  just  as  we  did  before  and  wait 
for   daybreak,  or  until  the  Indians  begin  getting  up." 

**Shall  we  have  a  reserve  on  horseback  as  we  did  be- 
fore.?'* he  asked. 

I  told  him,  I  did  not  think  it  would  be  necessary  in 
this  case,  we  could  get  between  the  Indians  and  their 
horses,  and  if  they  started  to  run  for  their  horses  as  they 
surely  would,  they  would  put  themselves  into  our  clutch- 
es, and  besides  this  way  would  be  more  pleasing  to  the 
men,  as  they  all  would  have  the  same  chance  to  shoot 
Indians  alike,  and  could  find  no  grounds  to  murmur,  as 
they  did  the  last  fight. 

We  rode  to  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the  Indian 
camp,  dismounted  and  hitched  our  horses,  and  we  all 
got  near  together,  and  I  explained  to  all  the  boys  the 
position  that  all  the  Indians  were  in,  and  also  where  the 
horses  were. 

I  took  the  lead,  and  we  crawled  down  and  took  our 
stations  around  the  sleeping  Indians*  camp.    When  every 


3l8  SLAUGHTERING. 

man  was  stationed  and  ready  for  the  Capt's.  word  to 
proceed  to  business,  Capt.  McKee  crawled  to  the  place 
where  I  was  waiting  and  whispered,  "Why  not  make  the 
charge  at  once,  I  will  go  around  and  tell  the  boys,  and 
we  will  begin  the  attack  with  knives.  I  could  kill  a  half 
a  dozen  Indians  before  the  others  are  aroused,  and  when 
the  others  begin  getting  up,  pull  our  pistols  and  finish 
them  before  they  are  fairly  awake,  and  don't  let  any  of 
them  get  away.  When  you  see  me  in  among  them  it 
will  be  your  time  to  begin." 

He  left  me  as  silently  as  he  had  come,  and  I  waited, 
hardly  breathing,  till  I  saw  his  form  outlined  among  the 
shadows,  as  the  full  moon  flickered  through  the  branches 
of  the  trees. 

As  soon  as  the  Capt.  reached  the  Indians  every  man 
sprang  for  the  nearest  one,  and  it  was  a  lively  little  fight 
for  me  at  least.  The  first  two  Indians  I  struck  never 
gave  a  grunt,  for  I  nearly  severed  their  head  from  their 
bodies.  The  third  one  as  I  made  for  him  shouted, 
''Woughe,"  and  sprang  to  his  feet.  I  hit  him  on  the 
back  of  the  neck,  but  I  gave  him  the  third  blow  before 
he  went  down.  Just  as  he  doubled  up  I  saw  another 
coming  directly  for  me,  running  at  full  speed.  I  jerked 
my  pistol,  and  when  he  was  in  a  few  feet  of  me  1  fired, 
and  he  fell,  and  now  I  could  hear  the  pistols  firing  thick, 
and  fast,  but  no  more  Indians  came  near  me,  and  the 
fight  lasted  but  a  few  minutes  longer.  One  of  our  men 
had  a  hand  to  hand  fight  with  an  Indian.     They    both 


THt   RALLY.  3I9 

/ought  with  knives.  I  did  not  see  the  fight  although  they 
must  have  been  near  me,  and  he  was  the  only  man  that 
was  wounded  in  the  fight,  and  he  was  only  slightly  wound- 
ed. He  told  me  that  the  first  he  saw  of  the  Indian  he 
was  right  before  him  brandishing  his  long  knife,  and  he 
said,  **I  had  to  work  lively  for  a  little  bit,  you  may  rest 
assured,  but  I  finally  got  a  lick  at  his  short  ribs,  and 
then  I  gave  him  another  on  the  back  of  the  neck  and  that 
got  him." 

As  soon  as  the  pistols  ceased  firing  Capt.  McKee  came 
to  me  and  said,  *'I  think  we  have  got  them  all." 

I  said,  *'Now  Capt.,  call  the  boys  together  and  see  if 
any  are  wounded." 

He  stepped  out  a  little  ways  and  called  to  the  men. 
*'If  anyone  is  hurt  , report  to  me  at  once,  so  we  can  at- 
tend to  you." 

No  one  came  to  us  but  the  one  I  have  spoken  about. 
He  was  cut  on  one  arm  and  had  a  slight  cut  on  one 
shoulder.  The  Capt. ,  said,  * 'Now  boys  go  around  to 
every  dead  Indian  and  take  every  knife  and  anything  else 
that  you  can  find  that  is  of  any  value  and  bring  them  here 
and  lay  them  in  a  pile,"  and  then  he  gave  me  a  title 
when  he  said,  '*The  scout  and  I  will  go  and  see  about  the 
horses." 

Capt.  McKee  gave  me  this  title  in  fun  that  night,  but 
he  little  thought  that  years  after  that  night  I  would  win 
the  right  to  not  only  be  called  a  scout  but  would  have 
the  honor  confered  on  me  of  **Capt.,  Chief  of  scouts." 


320  THE   REST. 

We  went  to  where  the  horses  were  feeding,  but  they 
were  so  mixed  that  we  could  not  count  them.  After  we 
had  looked  at  some  of  them,  the  Capt.,  said,  **I  wonder, 
where  the  Indians  stole  them.  Such  fine  horses  are  not 
found  every  where.  Perhaps  after  daylight  we  may  dis- 
cover some  brand  that  will  show  whom  thay  belong 
to." 

We  went  back  to  the  Indians*  camp  and  saw  that  the 
boys  had  gathered  up  all  that  belonged  to  them.  Each 
one  of  them  had  had  a  nice  blanket  and  nearly  all  of  them 
had  butcher  knives.  The  Capt.,  said,  "Now  we  will  get 
our  horses  and  stake  them  out  so  they  can  feed,  and  we 
will  get  to  our  blankets  and  try  to  get  a  few  hours  rest, 
for  I  am  dead  tired,  and  I  reckon  the  rest  of  you  boys 
don't  feel  any  better. " 

It  was  nearly  sunrise  when  I  opened  my  eyes  in  the 
morning,  and  there  were  only  a  few  others  stirring,  and  I 
was  not  long  in  getting  something  to  eat,  for  I  had  not 
broken  my  fast  since  noon  the  day  before.  In  a  short  time 
all  the  men  were  cooking  their  breakfast  and  as  soon  as 
the  meal  was  over  Capt.  McKee  asked  me  what  we 
should  do  with  those  horses.  I  told  him,  we  could  not 
fight  Indians  and  care  for  a  band  of  horses  at  the  same 
time.  We  must  drive  the  horses  some  where  and  sell 
them,  and  I  think  we  had  better  go  back  to  Fort  Worth, 
and  if  we  can  not  dispose  of  them  there  we  can  take 
them  to  Dallas. 

The  Capt.  then  called  four  of  the  men  to  us  and  told 


THE   CAPTURED   HORSES.  331 

them  to  go  out  where  the  horses  were  and  count  them 
and  ta  h^  .^ure  and  get  the  right  number.  They  were 
gone  about  an  hour,  and  when  they  came  back  they  said, 
there  were  one  hundred  and  twenty  horses  out  there,  and 
one  of  the  men  said,  **Some  of  those  horses  are  of  the 
finest  breed  that  I  ever  saw,  and  nearly  all  of  them  have 
been  broke  to  the  harness,  for  I  could  see  the  marks 
where  the  collars  have  rubbed  the  hair  off  their  should- 
ers, and  I  bet  those  Indians  drove  those  horses  hundreds 
of  miles,  maybe  from  Kansas  or  Arkansas,  and  they  and 
the  horses  being  so  tired  was  the  reason,  that  the  Indians 
stopped  here  to  rest. " 

Capt.  McKee  and  I  went  back  and  took  another  look 
at  the  horses,  and  we  found  them  to  be  much  better 
horses  than  we  had  thought  them  to  be,  but  we  could 
find  no  brand  on  them  or  any  thing  that  would  show 
whom  they  belonged  to.  This  convinced  us  that  they 
had  been  stolen  from  farmers.  As  the  horses  showed 
that  they  had  been,  driven  hard  and  we  thought  a  long 
distance,  we  decided  to  stay  over  one  day  as  the  grass  was 
plentiful  and  a  stream  of  pure,  cool  water  ran  a  few  feet 
from  where  they  were  feeding. 

Three  of  the  other  men  and  myself  went  hunting,  and 
we  killed  six  Antelope  and  were  back  in  time  to  cook 
some  for  dinner.  Capt.  McKee  and  I  cooked  dinner  to- 
gether that  day,  and  while  we  ate  he  told  me  the  conditi- 
ons he  had  hired  the  men  to  work  under.  He  said,  he  had 
guaranteed  them  twenty  five  dollars  a  month,  and   each 


$22  THE   SELLING   PRICE. 

man  was  to  pay  his  portion  of  the  grub  bill,  **So  yeu  can 
see  that  the  men  have  no  share  in  these  horses,  and 
what  we  can  make  out  of  the  sale  of  them  belongs  to  you 
and  me  alone.  And  I  think  we  had  better  pull  out  for  Fort 
Worth  in  the  morning,  and  try  to  dispose  of  them 
there." 

So  the  next  morning  we  pulled  out,  the  Capt.  and  I 
taking  the  lead,  and  the  men  driving  the  horses  after 
us. 

The  evening  of  the  fourth  day  we  reached  Fort  Worth. 

That  night  we  camped  a  little  south  of  where  the  Union 
depot  now  stands. 

The  next  morning  Capt.  McKee  and  I  rode  into  the 
town  to  see  if  we  could  find  a  purchaser  for  our  horses. 
We  found  a  number  of  men  who  wanted  horses,  but  each 
man  only  wanted  a  few.  Of  course  the  first  question 
was  what  price  we  asked  for  them.  The  Capt.  and  I 
had  set  the  price  at  from  one  hundred  and  twenty  five 
dollars  apiece,  which  we  considered  very  cheap  for  such 
fine  stock. 

We  talked  with  a  number  of  men,  and  a  few  of  them 
said  they  would  come  to  our  camp  and  look  at  the  horses. 
So  we  rode  back  and  by  noon  we  had  sold  half  of  our 
horses.  I  heard  one  man  say  as  he  rode  off  leading  four 
horses  that  he  had  paid  one  hundred  and  twenty  five  dol- 
lars a  piece  for,  that  he  had  made  a  bargain,  as  he  would 
not  take  two  hundred  dollars  for  the  worst  looking 
one. 


SETTLING   WITH   THE   BOYS.  323 

After  dinner  that  day  a  man  came  and  looked  at  the 
horses  we  had  left  and  said,  * 'You  are  selling  your  horses 
too  cheep,  if  you  can  stay  here  a  few  days,  and  let  your 
horses  rest,  and  the  people  have  time  to  find  out  what 
good  stock  you  have  for  sale,  it  would  pay  you  well,  and 
you  will  have  no  trouble  in  selling  your  horses  for  a  much 
higher  price  than  you  have  been  asking. 

The  Capt.  answered,  that  we  had  other  business  to 
look  after,  and  it  was  very  necessary  for  us  to  get  rid  of 
the  horses  as  quickly  as  possible,  even  if  we  had  to  sell 
them  at  a  disadvantage.  The  man  said,  *'Well,  I  will 
send  some  men  to  you  this  afternoon  and  perhaps,  you 
can  make  a  bargain  with  them." 

Before  the  next  night  we  had  sold  all  of  our  horses  at 
our  own  price.  Capt  McKee  said,  '*I  think,  I  will  set- 
tle up  with  the  boys  and  then  we  will  see  how  we 
stand." 

I  said,  *•!  think  you  had  better  lay  in  enough  provi- 
sions to  last  three  months,  Capt.,  for  we  do  not  know 
where  we  shall  be  or  whether  we  can  get  any  as  good  as 
we  can  here,  and  besides,  we  may  not  always  have  such 
good  luck,  as  we  have  been  having  the   last  few  weeks." 

Capt.  McKee  bought  the  grub  and  then  settled  with 
the  boys,  and  then  he  came  to  me,  and  said,  **Now  we 
will  settle  between  ourselves.'* 

We  walked  a  few  yards  away  from  camp  and  sat  down 
under  a  large  tree,  and  he  showed  me  a  little  book  where 
he   had  everything   set  down  in   black  and  white,  and 


324  ''WILL   YOU    BE   OUR   SCOUT?" 

when  all  was  reckoned  up  there  were  twenty  two  hun- 
dred and  eighty  dollars  to  divide  between  us  two. 

As  soon  as  we  had  divided  the  money  he  said,  *  *Now, 
are  you  willing  to  do  the  scout  work  and  take  the  lead 
of  ^his  company?  You  are  the  only  one  in  the  outfit 
who  understands  the  duties  of  a  scout.  I  know  this 
work  will  very  often  place  you  in  positions  that  will  be 
anything  but  pleasant,  but  some  one  must  take  the 
chances,  and  your  knowledge  of  the  Indians  and  his  ways 
of  fighting  makes  you  more  suitable  than  any  one  else  in 
the  company." 

I  said,  **I  will  accept  the  position  Capt.,  if  I  can  have 
the  two  men  that  have  been  with  me  in  the  last  two 
hunts,  and  one  more  man.  And  another  thing  I  want 
understood  is  that  we  four  men  will  be  exempt  from  all 
camp  duty  and  have  the  privilege  of  going  and  coming, 
anytime  we  please,  without  being  interfered  with." 

He  said,  *  'All  that  suits  me,  and  I  will  see  that  you 
are  also  exempt  from  cooking.  Your  meals  will  be  pre- 
pared for  you  from  this  on." 

Capt.  McKee  now  called  the  men  I  had  selected,  and 
one  of  the  others  to  come  to  him,  and  when  they  came 
he  told  them  of  the  arrangements  we  had  made  and  told 
them  they  must  look  to  me  for  their  instructions  in  the 
future,  if  they  were  willing  to  accept  the  positions  as  as- 
sistants. They  all  said,  they  were  willing  to  undertake 
the  job,  if  I  was  willing  to  teach  them  what  I  wanted 
them  to  do.     One  of  them  said,  **Mr.  Drannan,  wheq  I 


ANOTHER   SUMMONS.  325 

make  a  mistake  I  want  you  to  tell  me  of  it  at  once  for  I 
want  to  do  right  in  everything  as  much  as  you  will  want 
me  to." 

I  answered,  that  we  would  commence  by  learning  th^ 
private  signals  to  be  used  when  in  the  Indian  country 
which  I  would  teach  them  tomorrow  night. 

After  we  went  into  camp  the  next  morning,  just  as  we 
were  getting  ready  to  pull  out,  two  men  came  and  told 
us  that  the  Indians  were  doing  a  great  deal  of  damage 
about  seventy  five  miles  in  a  south  western  direction 
from  Fort  Worth.  He  said  they  had  been  making  raids 
on  the  settlements  every  few  days  for  several  weeks  and 
had  killed  several  people,  and  the  settlers  were  kept  in  a 
constant  fear,  day  and  night. 

As  the  Capt.  was  well  acquainted  all  over  the  country 
he  knew  just  where  to  direct  our  course,  and  we  pulled 
out  in  that  direction  making  as  good  time  on  the  way  as 
possible. 

The  second  night  after  we  left  Fort  Worth  we  camped 
on  the  edge  of  one  of  the  settlements,  where  the  Indians 
had  been  making  so  much  trouble.  As  soon  as  we  were 
settled  in  camp  I  rode  to  a  house  that  was  perhaps  a  half 
a  mile  from  us  to  get  some  information  regarding  the 
Indians.  The  man  of  the  house  said  that  the  Indians  had 
come  every  ten  days  and  some  times  oftener  and,  said  he, 
**The  Indians  do  not  try  to  kill  the  people  as  much  as 
they  did  to  steal  the  stock  or  anything  else  that  they 
could  get  their  hands  on." 


3^6  IN   THE    SADDLE   AGAIN. 

I  asked  him  what  direction  the  Indians  came  from  and 
he  answered,  that  they  invariably  came  from  the  west.  I 
asked  whether  they  were  in  large  or  small  bands.  He 
said,  there  were  seldom  more  than  thirty  in  a  band,  and 
they  always  came  up  that  river,  and  he  pointed  to  a  small 
stream  not  far  from  us. 

I  rode  back  to  camp  and  told  Capt.  McKee  what  I  had 
learned.  He  said,  *  *The  Indians  must  be  very  sure  that 
no  one  will  be  after  them  now.  What  do  you  think  is 
the  best  plan  to  adopt?" 

I  told  him,  that  I  thought  we  had  better  travel  down 
the  stream  that  the  Indians  seemed  to  make  a  pathway 
of,  for  one  day  at  least,  and  go  into  camp  at  night,  and  I 
would  scout  around  the  country  and  find  their  main  trails, 
for  I  was  satisfied  that  only  a  part  of  the  band  came  to 
this  settlement,  **And  what  we  want  to  do  Capt.  is  to  crip- 
ple them  so  they  would  let  this  settlement  alone,  and  we 
can  do  it  if  we  can  catch  the  main  band." 

We  pulled  down  this  little  stream  and  traveled  in  that 
direction. 

All  day  we  saw  lots  of  Indian  sign  all  the  way,  but 
none  of  them  was  fresh.  As  we  were  going  into  camp  that 
evening  I  told  Capt.  McKee  that  my  scouts  and  I  would 
take  a  circle  around  the  camp  and  see  if  there  were  any 
Indian  camp  fires  to  be  seen. 

We  rode  about  three  miles  on  top  of  a  high  ridge  and 
looking  off  to  the  west  we  saw  a  large  Indian  camp.  I 
knew  this  by   the  number  of  fires  they  bad  burningr.     I 


LOCATING   THE    FOE.  327 

pointed  to  the  fires  and  said  to  the  boys,  **There  they 
are.  We  have  found  the  main  camp.  But  now  the  dif- 
ficulty will  be  to  get  to  them  without  being  discovered  by 
them." 

As  the  darkness  was  coming  on  I  could  not  see  well 
enough  to  tell  how  far  the  Indian  camp  was  from  where 
we  stood,  but  we  struck  out  towards  the  fires.  I  told 
the  boys  to  ride  carefully  and  keep  close  together,  and 
for  each  man  to  keep  a  close  watch  in  every  direc- 
tion. 

We  rode  about  two  miles  and  almost  before  we  were 
aware  of  it  we  were  close  to  the  Indian  camp.  I  tried 
my  best  to  count  them,  but  I  could  not  make  out  the 
number  of  Indians  there  were  in  the  camp.  Their  horses 
were  staked  all  around  them  and  I  could  not  count  them 
either. 

I  said,  *  *Now  boys,  we  will  go  back  and  report  to  Capt. 
McKee  and  see  what  he  thinks  is  best  to  do." 

It  was  late  when  we  got  back  to  camp,  and  they  were 
awaiting  our  return,  Before  turning  in  for  the  night  I 
told  the  Capt.  what  we  had  found,  and  the  position  of 
the  Indian  camp,  and  that  I  thought  they  were  about 
five  miles  from  us. 

He  sat  in  thought  a  few  minutes  and,  turning  to  me 
said,  -^What  plan  have  you  in  your  mind  about  making 
an  attack  on  that  camp,  Mr.  Drannan.^" 

I  said,  **They  are  so  scattered  that  in  my  opinion  it 
would  be  impossible  to  get  them  all,  and  I  think  the  best 


328  THE   PROMISE   OF   A   NASTY   FIGHT 

way  to  make  an  attack  on  them  would  be  at  daybreak  and 
for  us  all  to  be  mounted  on  our  horses."  You  and  your 
men  make  the  attack,  and  me  and  my  scouts  make  a 
dash  for  their  horses  and  cut  them  loose  and  run  them 
off  out  of  the  Indians'  reach.  Now  Capt.,  I  am  satisfied 
that  this  fight  will  be  no  child's  play,  but  will  be  a  nasty 
little  fight,  but  if  we  can  get  the  Indians  on  a  stampede 
and  keep  them  from  getting  to  their  horses,  I  think  we 
can  run  them  down  and  get  the  most  of  them." 

The  Capt.  told  the  men,  that  they  had  better  not  go 
to  sleep  that  night. 

*  *If  we  sit  around  the  fire  here  until  three  or  four  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  you  will  all  get  over  your  scare  and  feel 
more  like  fighting. " 

One  of  the  boys  laughted  and  said,  *  *It  don't  affect  me 
in  that  way,  Capt.  The  more  I  study  about  a  bad  scrape 
that  I  expect  to  get  into  the  more  nervous  it  makes 
me. 

Capt.  McKee  answered,  * 'Perhaps  you  will  fight  better 
when  you  are  nervous  than  you  would  if  you  were  cool. 
Any  way  we  will  take  the  chances." 

We  sat  around  the  fire  and  told  stories  and  smoked 
until  about  one  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  then  we  sad- 
dled our  horses  and  pulled  out  for  the  Indian  camp,  and 
arrived  there  in  good  time  to  look  around  and  see  if  we 
could  take  any  advantage  of  the  Indians  in  the  coming 
fight. 

The  Capt.  selected   the  place  to   make  the  attack  and 


THE    DIN   WAS   DEAFNING.  329 

told  his  men  that  he  and  they  would  sit  on  their 
horses  and  watch  for  the  first  Indian  to  get  up,  and  as 
soon  as  the  first  Indian  attempted  to  get  up  they  must 
make  the  charge  and  every  man  must  do  all  the  shouting 
he  could,  **for,"  said  the  Capt.  ''If  we  can  get  the  Ind- 
ians stampeded  once,  we  will  have  as  good  a  thing  as  we 
want." 

I  told  my  scouts,  that  we  would  cut  the  horses  loose 
and  turn  them  in  the  opposite  direction  from  the  one  the 
Capt.  was  making  the  charge,  and  I  told  the  men  to  cut 
the  horses  loose  as  fast  as  they  came  to  them,  and  to  pay 
no  attention  to  the  Indians  unless  they  saw  them  coming 
towards  the  horses,  but  if  the  Indians,  one  or  many, 
seemed  likely  to  get  to  the  horses  to  pull  their  pistols  and 
shoot  them  down  before  they  caught  the  horses"  for,  I 
said,  **Every  horse  we  drive  away  will  be  equal  to  killing 
an  Indian,  for  it  will  be  putting  him  in  the  way  of  the 
other  boy's  bullets. " 

We  did  not  have  to  wait  long  before  the  sound  of  the 
guns,  and  the  yells  of  the  men  as  they  made  the  attack 
on  the  half  awake  Indians,  reached  us,  and  the  din  that 
the  two  noises  made  was  something  dreadful  to  listen  to 
as  it  broke  on  the  stillness  of  the  early  morning,  but  my 
men  and  I  had  too  much  to  attend  to  to  pay  much  atten- 
tion to  what  the  others  were  doing. 

After  the  fight  had  been  going  on  a  little  while  one  of 
my  scouts  came  to  me  and  said,  * 'I  think  we  have  got  all 
the  horses  loose. " 


330  THE   BRAVEST   INDIAN. 

I  answered,  *'Well,  we  will  drive  them  all  to  the  top 
of  the  hill  and  then  they  will  be  safe  from  their  Indian 
masters." 

We  were  not  long  in  driving  them  there.  I  told  one  of 
the  bo>s  to  stay  and  look  out  for  the  horses,  and  I  and 
the  other  two  would  go  back  and  see  if  any  of  the  horses 
had  been  overlooked  in  our  hurry. 

When  we  reached  the  village  again  we  could  only  hear 
a  shot  once  in  a  while,  and  the  yelling  had  ceased  alto- 
gether. 

We  sat  on  our  horses  and  waited  for  the  pursuers  to 
come  back,  and  in  a  half  an  hour  the  Capt.  and  all  his 
men  were  back  to  the  Indian  camp. 

I  asked  the  Capt.  if  he  got  them  all.  He  answered, 
**I  think  we  did,  and  I  saw  the  bravest  Indian  that  I 
ever  saw  before.  After  he  had  been  shot  three  times,  he 
still  fought  and  wounded  two  of  my  men." 

While  the  Capt.  was  speaking,  one  of  the  men  came 
near  us  and  raising  his  right  arm  said,  **Look  at  that," 
And  I  saw  where  he  had  been  shot  through  the  fleshy  part 
of  his  arm  with  an  arrow,  and  calling  one  of  the  other 
men  by  name,  he  said,  **And  the  same  Indian  shot  him 
through  the  leg,  after  he  had  shot  the  Indian  twice,  and 
then  I  got  a  hit  at  him,  and  as  he  fell  he  gave  me  this 
wound  in  the  arm.  Either  one  of  the  three  shots  we  hit 
him  with  would  have  killed  any  ordinary  man." 

Capt.  McKee  now  said,  *  'Come  boys,  we  will  scatter 
all  over  this  little  valley  and   look  carefully  into  every 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY  TO  TELL.         33  I 

bunch  of  brush  and  see  if  there  are  any  of  the  Red  skins 
left." 

After  they  had  searched  a  half  an  hour  all  the  men  re- 
turned without  finding  an  Indian.  The  Capt.  said  to  me, 
*  'Where  shall  we  make  our  camp?  For  we  are  very  tired 
and  need  some  sleep." 

I  answered,  *  'Why  not  camp  here?  There  is  plenty  of 
grass  for  the  horses  and  that  stream  of  water  that  we  can 
hear  gurgling  through  the  stones  is  as  cool  as  I  ever  drank, 
and  my  men  and  I  can  go  and  drive  the  horses  down  the 
hill  again  and  relieve  the  man  that  is  watching  them." 

Capt.  McKee  said,  "All  right,  and  the  men  can  get 
breakfast  while  you  and  I  go  and  count  the  horses." 

We  counted  them  three  times  and  made  sixty  six  each 
time. 

The  Capt.  said,  *'I  don*t  believe  there  were  that  many 
Indians  in  the  band.  If  there  were  that  number  and 
only  two  men  wounded,  and  all  the  Indians  killed,  it  will 
be  a  wonderful  story  to  tell. 

After  we  have  had  our  breakfast  we  will  look  around 
and  find  and  count  all  the  dead  Indians  and  see  if  the 
number  tallies  with  the  number  of  horses  they  had." 

In  a  few  minutes  the  boys  that  were  cooking  called 
out  that  breakfast  was  ready,  and  I  was  one  of  the  crowd 
that  was  ready  to  eat  it. 

While  we  were  eating  I  was  amused  at  one  of  the  boys 
who  was  telling  of  the  shines  an  Indian  cut  up  after  he 
had  shot  him. 


332  WILL   THEY   TAKE   THE   HINT? 

He  said,  he  thought  he  had  given  the  Indian  a  dead 
shot,  but  after  he  was  hit  the  Indian  rolled  over  just  like 
a  dog  that  had  been  whipped,  and  that  he  did  not  think 
the  Indian  stopped  roUing  as  long  as  the  breath  was  in 
him. 

As  soon  as  we  had  eaten  our  breakfast  the  Capt.  and 
I  had  four  others  started  out  to  search  for  and  count  the 
dead  Indians.  We  looked  around  about  an  hour  and  a 
half,  and  we  found  forty  two  Indian  bodies,  and  they 
were  nearly  all  armed  with  bows  and  arrows,  only  a  few 
having  knives. 

Capt.  McKee  said,  he  thought  that  we  were  the  luck- 
iest men  that  ever  hunted  Indians. 

**Just  think,"  said  he,  *'what  we  have  done  in  the 
last  month,  and  we  have  not  lost  a  man.  If  we  keep 
this  kind  of  war  fare  up  all  summer  there  will  be  no  Ap- 
ache Indians  left  to  bother  the  settlers.  Besides  when 
these  warriors  do  not  return  the  rest  of  the  tribe  will 
think  that  something  is  wrong,  and  they  will  take  the 
hint,  and  we  will  be  rid  of  them  in  two  or  three  months." 

We  now  went  back  to  camp,  and  we  all  turned  in  for 
a  day's  sleep.  As  we  were  laying  down,  Capt.  McKee 
said,  *  'The  first  of  you  that  is  awake  go  out  and  kill  some 
deer,  for  we  want  some  fresh  meat  to  eat.'* 

When  I  awoke  it  was  near  night  and  the  boys  were 
cooking  venison  around  the  fire.  I  inquired  who  had 
been  hunting.  They  said  no  one,  that  the  deer  came 
and  hunted  them,  that  when  they  awoke  they  saw  a  band 


THE    MAIN    PARTY   WAS    LEFT    BEHIND.  333 

of   deer  out   feeding  near  the   horses,  and  they   got  four 
deer  out  of  the  band. 

I  went  and  found  the  Capt.  fast  asleep.  I  woke  him, 
and  we  had  supper. 

I  asked  him  what  course  we  would  take  next.  He 
said,  *  'There  are  some  settlements  up  on  the  Colorado 
river  that  we  have  not  heard  from  in  quite  a  while  and 
we  will  go  and  look  after  them." 

I  asked,  **0n  what  part  of  the  Colorado  river i*"  and  he 
said,  *'At  Austin." 

We  had  a  good  night's  sleep,  and  we  were  astir  very 
early  in  the  morning  and  pulled  out  in  the  direction  of 
Austin,  Capt.  McKee  and  I  taking  the  lead,  and  the 
boys  following  driving  the  horses  we  had  captured  from 
the  Indians. 

Late  that  afternoon  we  struck  the  trail  of  a  small  band 
:)f  Indians.  I  did  not  go  far  before  I  saw  that  It  was 
quite  fresh.  I  told  the  Capt.  that  he  had  better  camp 
there,  for  there  was  plenty  of  grass  and  a  nice  stream  of 
water,  and  let  my  scouts  and  me  follow  the  trail  and  see 
if  we  could  find  them,  to  which  he  consented.  My  men 
and  I  left  the  main  party  and  started  on  the  trail  of  the 
Indians.  After  trailing  them  four  or  fiv^  miles  in  an  al- 
most eastern  direction,  the  trail  turned  to  the  south  west. 
We  kept  on  for  four  or  five  miles  more  and  then  we  came 
to  where  the  Indians  were  in  camp.  I  had  kept  the  lay 
of  the  country  and  the  direction  of  our  camp  in  my  mind, 
and  when  I  saw  the  Indians  I  knew  that  their  camp  was 


334  AT   DAYBREAK   OR   AT   NIGHT? 

near  ours. 

They  had  a  fire  and  were  cooking  meat  around  it.  We 
counted  them  and  found  that  there  were  thirteen  Indians 
in  the  band. 

I  said,  *'Now  boys,  we  will  go  back  to  our  own  camp 
and  report  to  the  Capt.  at  once,"  and  I  was  really  sur- 
prised to  find  it  was  so  short  a  distance  betwee,  the  Ind- 
ians, camp  and  ours.  It  was  not  more  than  a  mile  from 
one  to  the  other. 

When  we  reached  camp  we  found  the  Capt.,  and  the 
men  waiting  for  us  and  very  anxious  to  hear  what  we  had 
found.  I  reported  to  the  Capt.  and  he  asked,  when  I 
thought  best  to  go  after  the  Red  wretches.  I  told  him 
there  was  so  small  a  bunch  of  them  I  did  not  think  it 
mattered,  but  as  his  favorite  time  for  an  attack  seemed 
to  be  at  break  of  day,  suppose  we  wait  until  then  for  this 
one. 

He  laughed  and  said,  * 'The  break  of  day  has  been  your 
time,  not  mine  Mr.  Drannan.  You  have  done  all  the 
planning,  and  led  all  the  fights  in  this  campaign,  but  I 
am  glad  to  admit  that  it  has  been  a  grand  success  and  so 
far  you  have  come  out  with  flying  colors." 

I  said,  **Well  Capt.,  I  think  in  this  case  we  can  take 
a  little  nap  and  be  up  in  time  to  take  that  outfit  before 
they  have  time  to  wake  up,  for  it  is  no  more  than  a  mile 
from  here  to  their  camp." 

Capt.  McKee  answered,  **I  reckon  you  are  right,  there 
are  so  few  of  them  that  we  shall  not  have  to  delay  break- 


OUTWITTED.  335 

fast  to  get  them.*' 

We  all  turned  in  and  although  we  knew  that  Indians 
were  so  near  us  we  were  not  afraid  to  sleep  without  plac- 
ing a  guard  over  the  camp. 

When  I  awoke  I  looked  at  my  watch  and  saw  it  was 
two  o'clock.  I  called  the  Capt.  and  told  him  that  it  was 
time  we  were  moving.  He  asked  whether  we  should  go 
on  horseback  or  on  foot.  I  said,  **We  can  walk  there 
while  we  would  be  saddling  the  horses,  it  is  so  short  a 
distance." 

He  said,  *-All  right,  we  will  take  twelve  men  with  us, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  we  were  on  the  road.  When  we 
came  in  sight  of  the  dimly  burning  campfires  of  the 
Indians,  I  pointed  to  them  and  told  the  Capt.  that  was 
the  place,  and  I  said,  *'We  will  be  very  careful  and  not 
make  any  noise,  and  I  think  we  can  send  them  to  the 
Happy  hunting  grounds  while  they  sleep.  **Butthe  read- 
er may  imagine  our  surprise,  when  we  crept  to  the  Ind- 
ian camp  to  find  that  there  was  not  an  Indian  there. 

We  looked  around  the  camp  where  the  Indians  had 
cooked  their  supper,  and  then  we  looked  for  their  horses, 
but  they  too  had  disappeared  with  their  masters.  Capt. 
McKee  said,  **Does'nt  this  beat  you.?  What  do  you  sup- 
pose caused  those  Indians  to  leave.?" 

I  said,  '*This  is  one  of  the  times  that  the  Indians  were 
smarter  than  we  and  have  out  generated  us.  Probably 
they  too  had  a  scout  out,  and  he  saw  us  before  we  dis- 
covered  their  trail    and  reported  the  fact  to  the  others. 


33^  ''WE    MUST   GET   THEM    NOW   OR    NEVER." 

and  they  made  themselves  scarce  which  was  a  very  wise 
proceeding  on  their  part." 

We  turned  and  walked  back  to  our  own  camp  and 
found  the  boys  we  had  left  there  still  asleep.  I  said, 
**Capt.,  I  think  you  had  better  stay  here  with  your  men 
and  my  scouts  and  I  will  find  the  trail  of  those  Indians 
and  see  where  they  have  gone.  It  may  be  that  they  are 
a  part  of  a  large  band  and  have  gone  to  inform  the  main 
tribe  of  our  being  here.  If  this  is  the  case  we  will  be 
sure  to  have  some  trouble  with  them." 

The  Capt.  woke  the  men  and  they  cooked  breakfast 
from  some  of  the  deer  that  was  left  over  the  night  before, 
and  in  a  short  time  my  men  and  I  were  of!  on  the  trail 
of  the  Indians.  I  told  my  men  they  had  better  take 
something  for  a  lunch,  as  it  was  no  telling  when  we 
should  come  back, 

We  went  to  where  the  Indians  had  camped  and  soon 
found  their  trail  leading  from  it.  It  lead  us  in  a  south 
western  direction,  and  we  followed  it  until  about  twelve 
o'clock  when,  all  at  once  we  came  on  the  Indians,  laying 
around  a  camp  fire  sound  asleep. 

I  said,  ''Now  boys,  there  are  only  two  ways  to  choose 
from.  We  have  either  got  to  tackle  this  outfit  ourselves 
alone,  or  we  must  give  up  the  idea  of  getting  them  at  all. 
Now  I  will  leave  it  to  you  to  choose  which  to  do." 

They  were  all  more  than  anxious  to  make  the  attack. 
I  said,  **Now  boys,  ride  slowly  and  easy  until  you  get  in 
the  midst  of  them,  and  then  don't  wait  for  each  other  but 


THE   INDIAN    WAS   CUT    IN    TWO.  337 

turn  loose,  and  each  do  our  best  and  let  us  get  every  one 
©f  them  if  we  possibly  can,"  and  it  was  surprising  to  me 
to  see  how  cool  the  whole  three  men  were  in  attempting 
to  kill  these  Indians,  while  they  slept.  There  was  not  a 
sound  until  we  were  in  the  midst  of  the  sleeping  Indians, 
and  then  it  seemed  as  if  every  man  shot  at  once,  and 
aimed  to  kill,  and  there  were  only  five  Indians  out  of  the 
thirteen  that  had  time  to  spring  to  their  feet,  and  these 
did  not  try  to  defend  themselves,  but  made  for  their 
horses  with  the  attempt  to  get  away.  Only  one  of  them 
reached  his  horse,  and  as  he  sprang  on  his  horse*s  back, 
I  gave  him  a  cut  with  my  knife  across  the  small  of  his 
back  and  almost  cut  him  in  two.  He  tumbled  to  the 
ground  without  a  word,  and  as  he  did  so,  one  of  the  boys 
shouted,  *'We  have  got  them  all.  That  was  the  last  one, 
and  that  was  the    easiest  little  fight  that  I  was  ever  in." 

I  asked  if  either  of  them  was  hurt,  One  man  said, 
**Hurt.^  No,  why  durn  their  shadows,  they  were  not 
awake  enough  to  hurt  a  fly  if  it  had  been  in  their 
mouths." 

I  could  not  help  laughing  at  his  droll  way  of  expressing 
his  contempt  for  the  easily  won  battle  if  such  it  could 
be  called  when  all  the  fighting  had  been  on  our  side. 

We  staked  our  horses  out  to  let  them  eat  the  sweet 
grass  that  was  so  abundant  there,  and  we  sat  down 
and  ate  our  own  luncheon  beneath  a  large  tree,  and 
after  we  had  satisfied  our  hunger  we  laid  around  and 
rested   a    while,   and  then    we  mounted    our    horses,   I 


338  THE    STRANGE    HORSES    WERE    A    SURPRISE. 

taking  the  lead  and  the  boys  driving  the  Indians* 
horses  after  me. 

We  struck  out  for  camp  and  reached  the  place  where 
Capt.  McKee  and  his  men  were  in  camp  a  little  after 
dark. 

The  Capt.  was  surprised  indeed  when  we  rode  into 
camp  with  the  band  of  strange  horses,  and  the  men 
commenced  to  cheer  us  as  soon  as  they  saw  what 
we  had  with  us. 

Or  6  of  my  scouts  said,  **We  don't  want  to  go 
with  you  any  more,  Capt.  McKee,  for  you  do  your 
work  at  night  and  our  boss  does  his  work  in  the  day 
time." 

We  dismounted  and  gave  our  horses  to  the  man 
who  had  the  care  of  the  horse*  and  sat  down  to 
a  supper  of  fried  fish,  and  we  surely  did  justice 
^o  that    meal,    as   we   were   very  h mgry. 

After  we  had  finished  the  meal,  I  told  the  Capt. 
all  about  our  day's  work  in  trailinjC  the  Indians 
and  surprising  them  as  they  slept,  and  how  we 
wiped  the  whole  band  out  before  they  were  a- 
wake. 

The  Capt.  said,  * 'Tomorrow  morning  we  will  keep 
on  down  toward  the  south  western  settlements." 

I  asked  him  how  far  it  was  to  the  first  settlement,  and 
he  answered,  **We  will  make  it  by  tomorrow  night." 


CHAPTER  X. 


The  next  morning  we  were  on  the  road  very  early, 
and  we  traveled  nearly  all  day  before  we  reached  the 
first  settlement. 

There  was  a  little  cluster  of  houses  there,  perhaps  fifty 
all  together,  and  they  were  as  prosperous  farmers  as  I 
had  seen  in  Texas. 

They  were  all  acquainted  with  the  Capt.  and  were  glad 
to  see  us. 

We  staid  at  this  place  a  couple  of  days  to  let  our  horses 
rest,  and  we  sold  twelve  of  the  horses  that  we  captured 
from  the  Indians  to  the  farmers. 

The  people  there  told  us  that  it  was  three  months 
since  the  Indians  had  made  a  raid  on  them  and  there 
had  not  been  any  Indians  through  that  neighborhood 
since  the  raid,  but  they  had  been  told  that  the  Indians 
Wrere  doing  a  great  deal  of  damage  to  the  settlement  forty 
^r  fifty  miles  west  of  there. 


(339) 


340        THE  SCOUTS  STRUCK  OUT  ALONE. 

Capt.  HcKee  said,  **Well,  we  will  go  down  and  investi- 
gate." 

As  we  were  leaving  the  village  an  old  acquaintance  of 
the  Capt.  said,  **Let  us  know  when  you  are  coming  back, 
and  we  will  have  a  banquet  and  a  dance  while  you  and 
your  men  are  here." 

Capt.  McKee  answered,  *'We  will  not  come  back  until 
you  have  another  visit  from  the  Indians,  and  I  don't  be- 
lieve you  will  want  to  dance  then." 

We  pulled  out  for  the  settlements  where  the  Indians 
had  been  making  the  trouble. 

In  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  of  that  day  we  struck 
the  trail  of  what  appeared  to  be  quite  a  large  band  of 
Indians,  and  after  following  it  a  short  distance  I  conclud- 
ed it  was  a  fresh  trail.  Capt.  McKee  said,  **What  do 
you  think  is  best  to  do.^  The  whole  company  to  follow 
their  trail  or  my  men  and  I  stop  here  and  you  and  your 
scouts  keep  on  after  them  and  locate  them  if  you  can?" 

I  answered,  'Judging  from  the  appearance  of  the  trail 
I  think  we  would  be  running  a  great  risk  for  the  whole 
company  to  keep  on,  and  I  think  it  would  be  the  safest 
plan  for  you  to  stop  here  and  let  my  scouts  and  me  trail 
the  Indians  until  they  camp  for  the  night  and,  Capt.,  as 
you  are  acquainted  with  the  country  can  you  tell  me  how 
far  they  will  be  likely  to  travel  until  they  strike  good  wat- 
er and  grass  again. ^" 

He  said,  *'I  don't  believe  they  will  find  a  good  place 
to  camp  in  five  miles  from  here  and  maybe  further. " 


THE   INDIAN   BAND   WAS    SMALL.  34I 

I  said,  **Well,  Capt.  go  into  camp  here,  and  if  you  do 
not  hear  from  me  by  dark  have  everything  in  readiness 
for  an  immediate  start./ 

My  men  and  I  now  took  the  trail  of  the  Indians. 

We  traveled  with  great  caution  for  several  miles,  and 
as  it  was  just  beginning  to  grow  dark  we  came  in  sight 
of  the  Indian  camp  fire.  I  left  two  of  my  men  with  the 
horses,  and  taking  one  man  with  me  I  crawled  near 
enough  to  count  the  Indians,  and  I  wsa  surprised  when 
I  saw  how  few  there  were  sitting  around  the  fires.  I 
could  only  make  twenty  five,  and  I  counted  them  over 
several  times,  and  they  had  made  a  trail  big  enough  for 
a  hundred  Indians.  I  was  satisfied  that  they  must  have 
a  large  number  of  horses  with  them.  So  we  crawled 
down  where  they  had  left  the  horses  to  feed,  and  I  saw 
that  I  was  right.  There  was  a  large  band  of  horses,  feed- 
ing. I  could  not  count  them  they  were  so  scattered,  and 
the  darkness  hid  them,  but  I  thought  there  were  from  a 
hundred  to  a  hundred  and  twenty  five  horses  in  the 
bunch . 

We  went  back  to  our  comrades  and  mounted  and  took 
the  back  trail  to  where  the  Capt.  was  waiting  for  our  re- 
turn. As  soon  as  we  arrived  I  reported  to  Capt.  McKee 
what  we  had  found.  After  I  had  told  him  the  number 
of  Indians  in  the  band,  and  the  number  of  horses,  I 
thought  there  were,  he  asked  me  when  I  thought  the 
best  time  to  make  the  attack. 

I  answered   that  any   time  between   that  moment  and 


342  NOT  ENOUGH  TO  GO  AROUND. 

daylight  would  do,  for  we  had  a  soft  snap  before  us.  He 
said,  **Well,  you  boys  get  something  to  eat,  and  we  will 
saddle  the  horses  and  go  for  them  and  have  it  over 
with." 

In  a  very  short  time  we  were  all  ready  and  off  for  the 
Indian  camp. 

When  we  could  see  the  fires  the  Capt.  asked,  *' Which 
way  we  shall  make  the  attack,  on  our  horses,  or  on 
foot.?" 

I  told  him  that  was  for  him  to  decide,  but  that  there 
were  so  few  of  them  that  I  thought  it  would  be  to  his  ad- 
vantage to  make  the  attack  on  foot. 

**It  will  be  impossible  for  them  to  get  away,  for 
my  scouts  and  I  will  be  between  them  and  their 
horses,  and  if  any  of  them  should  get  away  from  you, 
we  will  attend  to  them  before  they  can  get  to  their 
horses." 

The  whole  company  dismounted  and  without  making 
the  least  noise  the}'  crept  down  to  the  Indian  camp  and 
in  a  few  moments  the  firing  commenced.  But  it  was  on- 
ly a  short  time  before  we  knew  that  it  was  over,  as  we 
heard  the  boys  shouting,  and  in  a  moment  more  we  were 
with  them  at  the  Indian  camp.  I  asked  them  what  they 
made  such  a  racket  about,  and  they  said  that  they  were 
shouting  for  more  Indians  to  come,  that  there  were  not 
enough  of  them  to  go  around. 

One  of  the  boys  said  that  every  time  he  drew  a  bead 
on  an  Indian  some  one  else   had  got  in   before  him,  and 


THE    MEN    WERE    LEFT   IN    CAMP.  343 

that  he  did  not  get  a  chance  to  shoot  one  Indian  in  the 
whole  fight. 

The  Capt.  and  his  men  now  went  and  got  their  horses 
and  unsaddled  them  and  staked  them  out,  and  we  all 
turned  in  for  the  night. 

The  next  morning  the  Capt  was  up  before  I  was  awake, 
and  he  and  his  men  had  counted  the  horses  that  the  Ind- 
ians had.  He  came  back  as  I  was  just  getting  up  and 
said,  * 'Guess  how  many  horses  there  are  in  the  bunch  we 
have  taken?" 

'*I  counted  a  hundred  and  twenty  five  last  night,*'  I 
answered. 

He  said,  *  'You  are  a  pretty  close  guesser.  There  are 
just  one  hundred  and  thirty  two  in  the  band,  and  some 
of  them  are  as  fine  work  horses  as  I  ever  saw  in  Texas. 
It  is  a  mystery  to  me  where  the  Indians  get  such  nice 
horses.  Do  you  think  it  possible  that  these  wretches 
have  been  into  Kansas  and  robbed  the  people  there.^" 

I  said,  **It  would  be  hard  to  tell,  Capt.  where  they 
got  them,  for  they  go  anywhere  that  they  think  there  ia 
anything  to  steal." 

After  we  had  eaten  breakfast,  Capt.  McKee  proposed 
that  he  and  I  go  to  the  settlement  alone,  and  leave  the 
men  in  camp  until  W3  came  back.  He  said  that  the  set- 
tlement was  no  more  than  five  or  six  miles  from  where 
we  then  were  in  camp  and  perhaps  we  could  get  some 
information  in  regard  to  where  the  Indians  had  been 
stealing  stock  and   doing  other  depradations  to  the  set 


344  STRIKING   OUT   FOR   THE   SETTLEMENT. 

tiers. 

When  the  Capt.  told  the  men  what  we  proposed  doing, 
one  of  them  said,  *  *That  just  suits  me,  for  one,  for  we 
are  out  of  meat,  and  while  you  are  gone  we  can  ^o  hunt- 
ing and  have  a  new  supply  when  you  get  back/' 

The  Capt.  said,  *  'All  right,  but  take  care  of  the  horses 
and  not  let  any  of  them  get  away,  and  don't  look  for  us 
until  we  come  back.'* 

We  mounted  our  horses  and  struck  out  for  the  settle- 
ment. A  two  hours  ride  brought  us  there,  and  we  found 
that  Capt.  McKee  was  acquainted  with  most  of  the  set- 
tlers, and  they  welcomed  us  gladly,  for  at  that  time  when 
every  one  had  to  travel  on  horseback  or  walk  there  was 
not  so  much  visiting,  and  the  sight  of  a  friendly  face  was 
very  pleasing  to  the  people  who  lived  at  those  isolated 
settlements. 

When  we  inquired  if  the  Indians  troubled  them  they 
said,  the  Indians  had  not  raided  that  place  i"»  three 
months,  but  about  three  weeks  before  some  one  saw  a 
band  of  about  twenty  five  Indians  goingtowards  the  east, 
and  they  were  the  last  Indians  that  had  been  seen  in  that 
neighborhood,  but  that  they  had  heard  that  the  Apache 
Indians  had  been  doing  considerable  mischief  fifty  miles 
or  so  further  south,  but  they  did  not  know  whether  the 
report  was  true  or  not,  and  that  they  of  this  settlement 
had  been  careful  to  have  their  stock  cared  for  by  herders 
through  the  day  and  at  night  they  were  put  in  the  cor- 
ral. 


THE   captain's   SPECIAL   DINNER.  345 

The  Captain  asked  if  we  could  make  arrangements 
with  them  to  take  charge  of  over  a  hundred  head  of  horses 
for  a  month  or  so,  and  if  so  to  care  for  the  same  as  their 
own  by  day  and  at  night.  The  man  we  were  talking  to 
said  that  his  son  had  charge  of  the  stock  in  the  daytime 
and  would  be  at  the  house  for  dinner,  and  that  we  had 
better  stay  and  have  a  talk  with  him. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  young  man  came  in,  and  the 
Captain  asked  him  what  he  would  charge  to  herd  a  few 
more  than  a  hundred  horses  for  a  month,  or  longer. 
The  young  man  said  that  he  would  take  them  at  twenty- 
five  dollars  a  hundred,  and  we  could  leave  them  with  him 
as  long  as  we  pleased  at  that  price,  and  that  they  should 
have  the  best  of  care  while  he  had  the  charge  of  them. 

At  this  moment  the  lady  of  the  house  came  on  the 
porch  where  we  were  sitting  and  invited  us  in  to  eat  din- 
ner, and  she  told  the  Captain  she  had  prepared  a  special 
dinner  for  him. 

The  Captain  laughed  and  said:  **Well,  my  good 
woman,  here  is  my  comrade,  Mr.  Drannan;  what  shall 
we  do  with  him.^     I  expect  he  is  hungry,  too.'* 

She  said:  **Well,  Captain,  you  may  invite  him  in. 
Maybe  you  can  spare  enough  for  him  to  have  a  taste.  I 
have  only  got  a  gallon  of  green  peas  and  a  ham  of  veni- 
son roasted  and  four  squash  pies  and  a  pan  of  corn  bread 
cooked  for  you,  so  I  reckon  you  can  spare  Mr.  Drannan 
a  little  bite." 

Aswe  went  into  the  house  the  man  said:    '*  My  wife  must 


346  A   TASTE   OF   HOME   LIFE. 

think  you  are  a  pretty  good  eater  Capt."  to  which  the 
lady  replied,  •*!  tried  him  a  year  ago,  and  I  have  not 
forgotten  how  much  it  took  to  fill  him  up  then." 

We  sat  down  to  the  table  amidst  the  laughter  that  fol- 
lowed this  remark,  and  I  can  safely  say  that  I  never  ate 
a  meal  that  I  enjoyed  more  than  I  did  that  dinner,  and 
I  thought  that  the  Capt.  had  not  lost  the  appetite  the 
lady  gave  him  credit  for  having  the  year  before.  And 
what  made  the  meal  more  enjoyable  was  the  Texas  style 
of  cracking  jokes  from  the  time  we  sat  down  until  we  left 
the  table,  and  I  will  say  this  for  Texas  that  of  all  the 
states  I  have  ever  visited  from  that  time  until  this  day 
Texas  was  then  and  is  now  the  most  hospitable. 

It  is  fifty  years  ago  that  I  ate  that  meal  in  the  little 
settlement  that  was  miles  away  from  the  busy  cities,  and 
I  can  with  safety  say  that  I  have  found  in  the  state  of 
Texas  more  large  hearted  people  than  I  have  found  in  all 
the  other  states  put  together  that  I  have  visited. 

When  we  were  leaving  the  house  we  told  the  young 
man  that  we  would  come  back  the  next  day  and  bring 
the  horses  for  him,  to  take  care  of. 

We  left  the  settlement  and  struck  the  trail  for  our 
camp,  and  we  found  that  the  boys  had  good  success  in 
hunting.  They  had  four  deers  all  dressed  and  hanging 
to  the  limbs  of  trees. 

That  evening  I  asked  the  Capt.  what  course  he  intend- 
ed to  pursue  now.  He  said,  *'We  have  the  horses  off 
our  hands  for  a  time  at  least,  and  we  will  pull  south  for 


SOUTHWARD   BOUND.  347 

a  month  or  six  weeks,  and  then  if  all  is  well  we  will  come 
back  and  get  our  horses  and  pull  for  Dallas.  By  that 
time  the  farmers  will  have  disposed  of  their  crops  and 
will  have  money  more  plenty,  and  I  think  we  can  do  bet- 
ter in  selling  our  horses  than  we  ever  have  done.  } 
think  we  have  crippled  the  Apache  tribe  so  much  that 
some  of  the  settlements  will  not  be  troubled  with  them 
again,  and  if  we  are  as  successful  in  our  fights  with  them 
the  balance  of  the  season,  they  will  be  pretty  well  down, 
and  what  a  great  blessing  it  will  be  to  the  people  of  this 
country  that  we  came  to  their  relief." 

The  next  morning  Capt.  McKee  and  I  and  the  whole 
company  broke  camp  and  struck  the  trail  lor  the  settle- 
ment, driving  the  captured  horses  before  us.  We  met 
the  herder  coming  to  meet  us.  He  assisted  us  to  drive 
them  to  his  corral  and  helped  us  to  count  them,  and  there 
were  one  hundred  and  thirty  eight  horses  in  the  band. 
Nearly  every  one  in  the  settlement  was  at  the  corral 
when  we  got  there.  The  people  had  heard  that  we  were 
coming,  and  every  body  wanted  to  see  the  horses  we  had 
fallen  heir  to  when  we  killed  the  Indians. 

When  we  told  them  what  we  would  sell  the  horses  for, 
some  of  the  men  said  that  they  wanted  horses  and  would 
have  the  money  to  pay  for  them  when  they  disposed  of 
their  crops  in  ihe  fall. 

The  horses  being  off  our  mind  we  started  for  the  south, 
and  as  we  were  passing  the  house  where  we  dined  the  day 
before  the  lady  came   to  the  door  and   called  to  Capt. 


348  THE    LAUGH   WAS   ON    THE    CAPTAIN. 

McKee,  saying:  **Captain,  when  you  get  ready  to  come 
back  this  fall  send  a  runner  on  ahead,  and  I  will  have  a 
square  meal  all  cooked  for  you." 

All  the  boys  heard  this,  and  thinking  it  must  be  a  joke 
on  the  Captain  they  all  cheered  and  clapped  their  hands. 
The  Captain  took  off  his  hat  and  made  a  bow  and 
thanked  the  lady,  and  we  all  rode  on,  but  the  Captain 
did  not  hear  the  last  of  this  joke  all  summer.  When- 
ever he  complained  of  being  hungry  some  of  us  would 
remind  him  of  the  square  meal  that  was  waiting  for  him 
at  the  settlement. 

We  traveled  four  days,  passing  through  several  settle- 
ments before  we  heard  of  any  Indians.  As  we  were 
going  into  camp  on  the  evening  of  the  fourth  day  two  men 
rode  in  and  said  that  they  had  seen  a  band  of  Indians  a 
couple  of  hours  before,  and  there  were  as  many  as 
twenty  or  more  in  the  band,  and  that  four  of  the  Indians 
had  chased  them  several  miles,  and  that  the  Indians 
seemed  to  be  traveling  in  an  easterly  direction. 

I  said  to  the  Captain:  **Let's  have  the  men  take  sup- 
per with  us,  and  then  go  back  and  show  us  where  they 
saw  the  Indians." 

He  asked  them  if  they  were  willing  to  go  and  show  us, 
and  they  said  they  would. 

We  struck  out  as  quickly  as  we  could,  and  I  think  it  was 
all  of  ten  miles  before  we  struck  the  Indian  trail.  As 
soon  as  we  found  the  trail  the  Indians  had  left,  Captain 
McKee  thanked  the  men  and  told  them  he  would  not 


**WE   WANT   TO   FIGHT   WITH  YOU.  34$ 

trouble  them  to  go  any  further.  They  inquired  if  he  in- 
tended to  follow  the  Indians  up  and  make  an  attack  on 
them.  He  told  them  that  was  what  he  expected  to  do 
if  we  found  them.  They  said,  **Why,  can't  we  go  with 
you  and  help  to  fight  the  wretches.?  We  both  have  guns 
and  pistols  too,  and  we  would  like  to  get  even  with  them 
for  the  run  they  made  us  take  against  our  will." 

The  Capt.  said,  **I  am  willing  for  you  to  accompany 
us,  but  you  must  watch  my  men  and  do  as  they  do,  if 
you  are  sure  you  want  to  put  yourselves  in  the  same 
danger  of  being  killed  that  we  do." 

They  both  said  together,  '  *That  is  just  what  we  want 
to  do  Capt.  We  want  to  learn  how  to  fight  the  Red 
devils,  and  this  will  be  a  grand  chance  for  us  to  learn  to 
do  it  in  style." 

Myself  and  my  scouts  took  the  lead  on  the  Indian 
trail.  I  told  the  Capt.  to  ride  on  slowly,  and  as  soon  as 
I  came  up  with  the  Indians  I  would  inform  him  of 
it. 

We  three  followed  the  Indian  trail  until  the  day  was 
breaking,  and  when  we  first  saw  their  camp  fires,  we 
were  only  a  short  distance  from  them,  as  they  were  down 
in  a  little  narrow  valley,  and  we  were  almost  over  them 
before  we  saw  them. 

We  dismounted  and  I  sent  one  man  back  to  tell  the 
Capt.  and  one  I  left  to  care  for  the  horses,  and  the  other 
I  took  with  me,  and  we  crawled  down  the  hill  through  the 
thick  brush  to  try  to  see  what  position  the  Indians  were 


3 so  A   CLOSE   WATCH. 

in  and  find  out  what  the  best  way  would  be  to  attack 
them. 

When  we  had  got  to  within  a  hundred  yards  of  their 
camp,  I  saw  an  Indian  crawl  out  of  his  blanket  and  go  to 
one  of  the  fires  and  put  more  wood  on  it.  I  whispered 
to  my  comrade  to  stop,  and  I  told  him  we  could  not  go 
any  nearer  now,  and  in  another  moment  two  more  Ind- 
ians got  up. 

I  said,  *'Now  let  us  get  back  to  our  horses  as  quickly  as 
we  can." 

As  we  reached  the  edge  of  the  brush  I  looked  around 
to  see  where  their  horses  were,  but  there  was  not  a  horse 
in  sight.     We  kept  on  until  we  reached  our  horses. 

I  said,  **Now  boys,  you  both  stay  here,  and  I  will  ride 
down  the  ridge  a  little  way  and  maybe  I  can  see  their 
horses  and  be  sure  to  keep  a  close  watch  on  the  Indians' 
movements,  and  if  they  appear  to  be  excited,  signal  to 
me  at  once." 

I  discovered  their  horses  feeding  quietly  about  a  quar- 
ter of  a  mile  below  their  camp.  This  seemed  very 
strange  to  me,  and  that  the  horses  were  not  staked  out 
but  allowed  to  run  loose  seemed  still  more  strange. 

I  turned  and  rode  back  to  my  two  scouts,  and  after  I 
had  told  them  what  I  had  seen  I  said,  *'Boys,  I  am 
tempted  to  make  a  proposition." 

They  asked  what  it  was.  I  said,  **It  may  not  work, 
but  I  have  a  mind  for  us  to  go  down  where  the  Indians' 
horses  are  and  get  around  them  and  stampede  them  and 


TWO   INDIANS   CAME   ON   A   RUN.  35 1 

drive  them  to  meet  the  Capt.  and  the  men  with  him." 

Just  as  I  finished  speaking  one  of  the  men  said,  **Hark, 
it  is  too  late,  the  Capt.  and  his  men  are  here  now,"  and 
sure  enough  there  they  were  in  sight. 

When  I  told  the  Capt.  about  the  Indians  and  their 
horses  being  so  far  from  them  and  running  loose,  he  said, 
**There  is  something  up  you  may  be  sure,  for  it  is  a  very 
unusual  thing  for  an  Indian  to  do  to  leave  himself  so  un- 
protected by  letting  his  horses  run  at  large.'* 

He  then  asked,  if  I  had  any  idea  how  many  there  were 
in  the  camp  below  us.  I  told  him  that  I  had  not  count- 
ed them  and  could  not  do  so  the  way  the  camp  was  sit- 
uated, and  the  fires  so  dim. 

He  then  asked,  if  I  wanted  any  more  help  to  run  the 
horses  off.  I  answered,  **No  sir,  if  you  and  your  men 
will  attend  to  the  Indians,  I  and  my  scouts  will  attend  to 
the  horses,  and  you  need  have  no  concern  but  we  will 
get  them  away  all  right.  We  will  run  them  up  on  this 
open  ridge  and  hold  them  until  you  finish  the  Indians, 
and  you  will  know  where  to  find  the  horses  and  us." 

The  Capt.  and  his  men  struck  out  for  the  Indian  camp, 
and  my  men  and  I  to  get  the  Indians*  horses.  We  had 
not  reached  the  horses,  when  we  heard  the  sound  of  the 
guns.  We  had  just  succeeded  in  getting  the  horses  on  a 
lope,  when  we  heard  some  one  shouting  behind  us  and 
turning  in  my  saddle  I  saw  two  Indians  coming  on  a  run, 
and  they  were  running  for  all  they  were  worth. 

I  said,  * 'Boy's,  let  us  wheel  our  horses   and  get  those 


352  A   DESPERATE   FIGHT. 

Indians,"  and  I  had  hardly  turned  my  horse  when  the 
report  of  their  guns  rang  out,andbothof  the  Indians  drop- 
ped in  their  tracks. 

In  a  moment  more  a  cry  came  from  one  of  the  others 
and  looking  in  another  direction  I  saw  one  of  the  Capt's. 
men  in  full  pursuit  of  two  Indians,  and  he  was  shouting 
at  the  top  of  his  voice,  * 'Lookout  boys,  we  are  com- 
ing." 

I  said,  '*Now  boys,  let  us  get  these  horses  away  from 
here  quick,  for  the  Indians  are  coming  in  every  direction, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  they  will  be  upon  us,  and  we  will 
have  to  fight  them  and  perhaps  lose  half  of  the  horses, 
and  some  of  us  may  get  hurt  besides." 

We  spurred  our  horses  and  soon  had  the  Indian  horses 
on  the  dead  run  up  the  hill,  and  on  the  prairie  where 
we  had  told  the  Capt.  to  come  and  look  for  us. 

When  we  had  got  control  of  the  frightened  horses  and 
had  time  to  listen  we  could  hear  the  cracking  of  the  guns 
in  every  direction,  and  we  knew  that  it  was  a  desperate 
fight  that  was  being  fought. 

I  said,  *'Boys,  let  us  count  the  horses,  and  we  can 
then  have  some  idea  how  many  Indians  the  other  men 
have  to  contend  with." 

We  found  that  there  were  fifty  eight  in  the  band,  and 
we  knew  that  they  had  all  been  ridden  by  the  Indians 
for  each  one  had  a  hair  rope  around  his  neck,  so  we  de- 
cided that  there  must  have  been  fifty  Indians  in  the 
camp  when  the  Capt.  and  his  men  made  the   attack  on 


* 'lookout!**  353 

them. 

It  must  have  been  an  hour  oi  n.ore  before  the  Capt. 
and  his  men  began  coming  back.  When  Capt.  McKee 
came  back  to  the  hill  he  said,* 'This  has  been  the  hardest 
fight  that  I  have  had  with  the  Indians  in  years.  They 
were  nearly  all  up  when  I  struck  their  camp,  and  they 
were  all  on  the  fight.  Five  of  my  men  are  badly  wound- 
ed, and  I  don*t  believe  we  got  near  all  of  the  Indians. 
We  must  attend  to  the  wounded  men  first  and  then  we 
must  take  a  scout  around  and  see  if  we  can  find  any 
more  of  the  Red  fiends*" 

He  asked,  where  I  thought  was  the  best  place  to  make 
our  camp.  I  ansv^ered  that  there  was  a  level  spot  a  lit- 
tle below  whetf:  I  found  the  Indians'  horses  that  would 
make  a  good  camping  ground. 

He  said^  ''I  will  go  and  find  the  place,  and  you  and 
your  men  drive  the  horses  down  where  you  found  them." 

We  had  got  about  half  way  down  to  the  valley  with 
the  horses  when  one  of  my  men  said,  ** Lookout,  see 
Tvhat  is  coming. " 

I  looked  where  he  pointed  and  saw  an  Indian  running 
from  the  brush  and  making  for  the  horses  as  fast  as  he 
comd  t^Li:.  "said,  **Let'sgo  for  him,  boys,  and  aon'l 
get  too  close  U)  him  before  you  shoot,  for  he  has  his  bow 
and  arrow  ready  to  shoot  you,  if  you  don't  get  him 
first." 

I  raistd  my  gun,  as  we  went  for  him  and  fired  and 
broke  hh  leg,  and  one  of  the  other  boys  got  close  to  him 


354  AN    UGLY   ARROW   WOUND. 

and  shot  him  with  his  pistol  and  finished  him. 

We  now  rushed  the  horses  down  to  the  village  in  a 
hurry.  When  we  had  ^ot  them  there  I  told  the  boys, 
that  we  must  watch  the  horses  all  the  time  and  change 
herders  every  two  hours.  I  went  to  where  the  Capt.  had 
established  his  camp,  and  I  found  that  five  of  the  men 
were  badly  wounded.  One  was  wounded  in  the  hip, 
and  it  was  the  worst  arrow  wound  I  ever  saw. 

I  asked  the  Capt.  what  he  was  going  to  do  with  those 
wounded  men,  '*I  don't  see  how  you  are  going  to  get 
them  to  a  doctor,  and  I  don't  believe  they  will  get  well 
without  one.      So  what  are  you  going  to  do.?" 

He  said,  if  we  could  get  them  back  to  the  settle- 
ment where  we  left  the  horses  they  could  have  a  doctor's 
care. 

I  said,  **Well,  but  let's  get  them  something  to  eat  as 
well  as  ourselves,  for  they  must  be  faint  for  the  lack  of 
food  and  losing  so  much  blood,  and  if  they  a'-e  no  bet- 
ter by  evening,  I  think  you  had  better  send  for  the  doc- 
tor to  come  here  and  not  try  to  send  the  men  to  him  for 
treatment. "  The  Capt.  agreed  to  this,  and  as  soon  as  we 
had  something  to  eat,  I  went  to  where  the  wounded  men 
were  laying  and  examined  their  wounds  myself,  and  was 
surprised  to  find  the  men  so  cheerful.  They  were  laugh- 
ing and  talking  just  as  if  they  were  well. 

I  asked  the  one  that  was  so  badly  wounded,  if  he 
thought  we  had  better  send  for  a  doctor  to  dress  the 
wound.     He.  said,  **No,  I  don't  want  any  doctor,  if  you 


THE   frontier's   MAN'S   LINIMENT.  355 

will  get  me  a  plenty  of  the  balsam  of  fir  to  put  on  it,  it 
will  be  well  in  a  week."  I  answered,  **If  that  is  all  you 
want  my  friend,  I  will  see  that  you  get  all  you  want  of 
that,  for  there  is  plenty  of  it  all  around  us.*' 

I  will  say  for  the  instruction  of  the  reader  that  this 
birch  taken  from  the  fir  trees  as  it  saps  out  of  cracks  in 
the  bark  was  the  only  liniment  that  the  frontiersman  had 
to  heal  his  wonnds  at  that  time,  and  it  was  one  of  the 
best  liniments  that  I  have  ever  seen  applied  to  a  sore  of 
any  kind. 

I  now  hunted  up  the  Capt.  to  have  a  talk  with  him. 
I  asked  him  what  he  proposed  doing  until  those  men 
were  able  to  travel,  as  they  did'nt  want  any  doctor  and 
said  they  could  cure  their  wounds  themselves  with  bj^Jsam 
of  fir. 

The  Capt.  said,  **Well,  we  will  leave  enough  men  to 
guard  the  wounded  men  and  the  horses,  and  we  will  take 
the  others  with  us  and  go  and  search  for  more  Ind- 
ians." 

Capt.  McKee  left  ten  men  to  guard  the  camp  and  the 
balance  of  us  struck  out  on  a  hunt  for  stray  Indians. 

We  were  gone  from  camp  two  or  three  hours,  and  wn 
only  found  one  Indian,  and  he  was  wounded,  but  vfs 
found  a  number  of  dead  Indians  scattered  all  through  th»^ 
timber  where  the  men  had  shot  them  down  as  they  ran, 
or  as  they  met  them  in  hand  to  hand  combat. 

After  we  got  back  to  camp  I  asked  the  Capt.  what  he 
was  going  to  do  with  those  horses. 


356  TWO    WEEKS    OF    EASE. 

He  said,  he  thought  it  would  be  the  best  plan  to  stay 
where  we  were  until  the  men  were  able  to  travel  and 
then  to  go  back  to  the  settlement  and  get  our  other 
horses  and  then  pull  for  Dallas,  "For,"  said  he  **I  do  not 
believe  that  the  Indians  will  make  any  more  raids  through 
this  part  of  the  country  until  next  spring,  and  they  may 
never  come  back,  for  we  have  crippled  them  so  that  they 
will  shun  a  place  where  they  have  met  such  disaster. 
There  has  never  been  a  company  through  here  that  has 
had  the  success  in  killing  Indians  and  capturing  their 
horses,  as  we  have  had  this  spring.  Just  think,  what 
we  have  done,  and  not  one  of  our  men  has  been  kil- 
led." 

We  remained  in  this  camp  two  weeks,  and  every  one 
had  a  good  time  with  the  exception  of  the  wounded  men, 
and  even  they  were  more  cheerful  than  one  in  health 
could  have  thought  possible. 

Game  was  plentiful  and  easy  to  get,  and  we  had  all 
the  fresh  meat  we  wanted,  and  it  was  ;  ji  ideal  place  to 
lay  around  and  rest  when  we  were  tir  id  hunting,  and 
there  was  a  plenty  of  grass  for  the  horses  and  a  cool 
spring  of  water  to  quench  the  thirst  of  man  and  beast. 

After  the  first  week  the  wounded  men  took  more  or 
less  exercise  every  day,  and  so  kept  their  strength,  and 
it  was  surprising  how  fast  their  wounds  healed. 

The  day  before  the  one  set  to  start  for  the  settlement, 
I  asked  the  man  that  had  the  wounded  hip  if  he  thought 
he   could  ride   on  horseback.     He  answered,  **Yes,  if  I. 


ARE  YOU  GOING  ANY  FURTHER  TONIGHT?     357 

had  a  gentle  horse  so  I  could  ride  sideways,  I  could  stand 
it  to  ride  a  half  a  day  without  stopping  to  rest." 

I  told  him  that  I  had  a  horse  that  was  very  gentle  and 
would  just  suit  his  case. 

That  evening  the  Capt.  and  I  talked  the  matter  over 
together.  He  said,  he  thought  we  had  better  pull  out  in 
the  morning  and  travel  slowly  so  not  to  tire  the  wounded 
men  too  much,  for  the  farmers  would  have  sold  their 
crops  by  the  time  we  get  to  Dallas,  and  we  could  do  as 
well  with  our  horses  as  we  could  at  any  time  of  the  year. 

In  the  morning  we  left  the  camp  that  we  had  grown  to 
almost  love,  the  Capt.  and  I  taking  the  lead  with  the 
wounded  men  at  our  side,  and  the  other  men  brought  up 
the  rear,  driving  the  horses  who  had  grown  fat  and  glossy 
in  the  weeks  of  rest. 

When  we  were  mounted  the  Capt.  said  to  the  wound- 
ed men,  **Now  boys,  when  you  begin  to  feel  tired,  say  so, 
and  we  will  stop  and  camp  at  once." 

I  never  heard  a  word  of  complaint  from  one  of  them, 
and  we  had  ridden  ten  miles  or  so,  when  we  came  to  a 
cool  stream  of  water  and  a  plenty  of  grass,  and  the  Capt. 
said,  **This  is  a  good  place  to  stop  and  give  our  sick  boys 
a  rest." 

So  we  dismounted  and  went  into  camp.  After  we  had 
our  dinner  several  of  the  men  came  and  asked  the  Capt. 
if  he  was  going  any  further  that  night,  and  he  replied 
that  he  was  not.  The  boys  said,  *  'AH  right,  we  will 
catch  some  fish  then." 


358      FOR  THE  BENEFIT  OF  THE  WOUNDED. 

In  about  two  hours  they  came  from  the  stream,  and 
each  man  had  a  string  of  good  sized  cat  fish,  and  the 
reader  may  be  sure  that  we  all  enjoyed  that  fish  supper. 

From  the  time  we  left  the  camp  in  the  valley  until  we 
reached   the  settlement  we  onlytraveled  ten  miles  a  day. 

We  traveled  this  way  for  the  benefit  of  the  wounded 
men,  and  they  reached  the  settlement  not  worse  for  the 
journey,  but  they  were  much  stronger  than  when  we  start- 
ed. 

The  morning  before  we  reached  the  settlement  as  we 
were  about  to  mount  our  horses  one  of  the  men  said  to 
the  Capt.,  **Say,  Cap,  hav'nt  you  forgotten  to  do  some- 
thing?" 

The  Capt.  looked  around  in  a  surprised  way  and  said, 
*'I  do  not  remember  anything  that  I  could  have  forgotten 
to  do.      What  is  it?" 

The  man  said,  ''Did'nt  you  agree  to  send  a  runner  on 
ahead  to  notify  that  lady,  that  you  were  coming  so  she 
could  have  the  grub  cooked  for  your  dinner?" 

But  the  Capt.  never  answered  the  question,  for  before 
he  could  speak,  there  was  such  a  clapping  of  hands  and 
laughter  from  all  the  men  that  it  would  have  been  im- 
possible to  have  heard  him  if  he  had  tried. 

After  the  boys  had  stopped  cheering,  the  Capt.  said, 
"You  have  the  laugh  on  me  now  boys,  but  you  wait  and 
I  will  get  even  with  you,  and  he  that  laughs  last  laughs 
best." 

We  reached  the  settlement  about  the  middle  of  the  af- 


THE    SALE    OF   THE    HORSES.  359 

ternoon  and  we  found  our  horses  in  much  better  condition 
than  we  expected  to. 

We  staid  here  all  the  next  day  as  we  were  told  that 
several  of  the  farmers  near  there  wanted  to  purchase 
horses  from  us  and  would  come  as  soon  as  they  heard 
that  we  were  there. 

Before  night  we  had  sold  thirty  one  horses  at  a  fair 
price.  About  noon  of  that  day  the  Capt.  and  I  were 
sitting  under  a  tree  having  a  smoke  when  a  little  girl 
came  to  us  and  said,  **Capt.,  mama  says,  you  and  Mr. 
Drannan  come  and  take  dinner  with  us." 

As  neither  of  us  knew  her  the  Capt.  asked  where  she 
lived,  and  who  her  mama  was. 

She  said,  *'Come  on,  and  I'll  show  you,"  and  when  we 
went  with  her  it  proved  to  be  the  same  place  where  we 
had  dined  the  last  time  we  were  at  the  settlement. 

Their  name  was  'Jones."  The  man  and  his  wife  met 
us  on  the  porch  and  shook  hands  with  us,  and  the  lady 
said,  **Capt.,  you  have  been  very  lucky  in  killing  Indians 
and  pretty  lucky  in  getting  something  to  eat  with  us. 
You  had  some  of  our  first  picking  of  peas  last  spring  and 
you  will  have  some  of  our  first    turnips  today." 

The  Capt.  told  her  that  of  all  vegetables  he  liked 
young  turnips  best.  She  said  that  she  had  enough  for 
dinner  and  supper  too,  and  that  we  might  consider  our- 
selves invited  to  supper  too. 

We  ate  dinner  with  this  hospitable  family,  and  then 
we  went  back  to  the    corral  and  the  selling  of  our  horses 


36o 


OFF   FOR    DALLAS. 


which  commenced  soon  after  we  got  there,  as  the  farm- 
ers came  early  in  the  day. 

That   night   we   paid  the   herder   for  his  care  of   the 
horses,  and  then  we  pulled  out  for  Dallas. 


CHAPTER  XL 


I  do  not  remember  how  many  days  it  took  us  to  reach 
Dallas,  but  it  was  in  the  middle  of  October  when  we 
rode  into  that  city. 

This  was  in  the  fall  of  fifty  eight,  and  the  news  had 
just  reached  Dallas  that  gold  had  been  discovered  on 
Cherry  creek  in  the  territory  of  Colorado,  and  the  excite- 
ment was  intense.  All  over  the  city  people  talked  of 
nothing  else  but  gold,  and  of  all  the  exaggeration  stories 
about  gold  mines  that  I  had  ever  heard  the  ones  told 
ther«  were  the  most  incredible.  The  parties  who  brought 
the  news  to  Dallas  had  not  been  to  the  mines  them- 
selves but  had  been  told  these  wonderful  stories  at  Bent's 
Fort. 

Capt.  McKee  caught  the  gold  fever  right  away,  and  he 
said  to  me,  **I  am  going  to  get  up  a  company  in  the 
spring  and  go  to  those  new  gold  mines.  Don't  you  want 
to  go  with  me.>" 


(361) 


362  THE   GOLD    FEVER. 

I  answered,  *'No,  Capt.  I  do  not,  for  I  know  that 
Cherry  creek  country,  and  I  do  not  believe  that  there  is 
a  pound  of  gold  in  all  that  country,  it  is  nothing  but  a 
desert." 

He  said,  **Have  you  been  to  Cherry  creek.?" 

I  answered,  **Yes  sir,  a  number  of  times." 

* 'Where  is  Cherry  creek?"  he  asked.  I  told  him  that 
Cherry  creek  headed  in  the  divide  between  the  Arkansas 
river  and  the  South  Platte  river,  and  emptied  into  the 
South  Platte  river  about  twenty  miles  below  where  the 
Platte  leaves  the  Rocky  mountains  and  near  the  center 
of  the  territory  of  Colorado.  Capt.  McKee  said,  *'Well, 
I  am  going  any  how.  I  did  not  go  to  California  when  I 
ought  to  have  gone,  and  maybe  this  will  prove  as  rich  a 
country  for  getting  gold  as  that  did. " 

I  laughed  and  answered,  * 'There  may  be  lots  of  gold 
in  Colorado,  Capt.,  but  you  or  any  one  else  will  never 
find  enough  gold  in  Cherry  creek  to  make  you  rich." 

He  said,  *'Well,  the  way  to  find  it  is  to  go  there  and 
look  for  it.     We  surely  never  will  if  we  stay  away." 

From  the  way  the  people  talked  one  would  have 
thought  that  everybody  in  Dallas  was  going  to  the  gold 
fields. 

After  it  was  known  that  I  had  been  through  the  coun- 
try where  the  gold  mines  were  reported  to  be,  a  great 
many  men  came  to  me  to  make  inquiries  about  the  coun- 
try, and  some  of  them  seemed  surprised  because  I  took 
the  news  so  coolly  and  did  not  seem  anxious  to  go  there. 


**WE*LL   SURPRISE   THE   CITY.*'  363 

The  excitement  did  not  last  more  than  a  week  before  it 
commenced  to  die  away. 

By  this  time  we  had  about  disposed  of  our  horses,  and 
the  wounded  men  were  able  to  go  to  their  homes. 

The  Capt.  settled  up  with  the  men,  and  he  and  I  divi- 
ded the  remainder  of  the  money. 

After  we  were  square  the  Capt.  asked  what  I  was  going 
to  do.  I  told  him  that  I  was  going  back  to  Bent's  Fort. 
He  said,  '*Well,  won't  you  wait  a  few  days  until  I  can 
organize  a  company  to  go  with  me  to  Colorado,  and  we 
will  go  with  you  as  far  as  Bent's  Fort?" 

I  said,  I  certainly  would,  for  the  journey  would  be  very 
lonely  for  me  to  go  alone,  and  I  liked  company,  and  be- 
sides I  was  in  no  hurry  to  get  there. 

The  Capt.  worked  steadily  to  get  recruits  for  his  com- 
pany for  two  weeks,  and  he  succeeded  in  getting  ten  men 
in  all  that  time. 

He  said,  **This  beats  anything  I  ever  undertoo-k. 
When  we  first  came  to  Dallas  the  whole  town  talked  as 
if  they  were  crazy  to  go,  and  now  I  can't  get  any  body  to 
join  me,  but  I  will  make  the  effort  with  the  ten  men  that 
will  go,  and  if  this  is  a  success,  and  we  make  fortunes  we 
will  comeback  and  surprise  the  city." 

I  said,  * 'Alright,  Capt.,  but  if  the  people  of  Dallas  are 
ever  surprised,  it  will  not  be  from  hearing  of  the  great 
amount  of  gold  you  and  your  companions  took  from 
Cherry  creek." 

The  Capt.  now  commenced  to  get    ready  for  the  jour- 


364  BY   THE   PAN    HANDLE    ROUTE. 

ney  to  Colorado,  the  land  of  reported  gold.  Each  of  his 
men  had  to  have  two  saddle  horses,  and  one  pack  horse 
for  every  two  men,  and  each  man  had  three  months  pro- 
visions, consisting  of  flour,  coffee,  salt  and  tobacco. 

The  question  of  getting  meat  was  never  thought  of  as 
one  could  get  a  plenty  of  that  anywhere  on  the  journey, 
and  the  streams  were  teaming  with  the  most  delicious 
fish. 

The  evening  before  we  were  to  set  out  in  the  morning 
the  Capt   said,   * 'Which  way  shall  we  go.?" 

I  said,  ** Although  it  is  getting  late,  and  we  may  have 
some  cold  weather  to  contend  with  I  think  our  best  and 
most  direct  route  will  be  by  what  is  called  the  Pan  han- 
dle route.  There  will  be  no  rivOiS  to  cross,  and  there  is 
a  plenty  of  grass  for  the  horses^  tX^jd  also  there  is  nice 
drinking  water  in  abundance  all  iht  ^ay  for  ourselves  as 
well  as  the  hordes,  and  there  wiU  be  days  when  we 
will  be  in  sight  of  D<aer  and  Antelope  tVom  morning  until 
night. " 

There  were  a  few  scattering  settlements  along  the  trail. 
The  place  which  is  now  the  city  of  Childress  being  the 
largest,  and  also  the  lasl:  Settlement  we  passed  through, 
and  the  last  sign  of  civilisation  we  saw  until  we  struck 
Bent's  Fort  which  was  on  the  Arkansas  riveJ"  b"^low  what 
is  now  the  city  of  Pueblo  in  the  sta^e  of  Colorado 
which  was  at  that  time  aterritoi'y  just  a  fv^t^r  ^'  \xtt*  of 
what  is  now  the  city  of  Amarilla, 

We  killed  our  first  Buffalo  on  thai  trip? 


THE   OLD   ELM    TREE.  365 

It  IS  surprising  to  the  people  who  saw  that  country  at 
that  early  day  when  they  travel  through  it  now,  and  see 
what  civilization  has  done.  There  is  Amarilla,  which 
has  several  thousand  inhabitants  today,  and  at  the  lime 
I  am  speaking  of  there  was  not  a  house  or  sign  of  a  living 
person  there,  and  a  number  of  other  places  I  could  men- 
tion that  are  thriving  cities  now  were  at  that  time  inhab- 
ited by  wild  animals  alone. 

In  the  year  of  forty  eight  when  Kit  Carson  and  I  went 
across  the  Rocky  mountains  with  Col.  Fremont,  we 
camped  three  days  where  the  city  of  Pueblo,  Colorado, 
now  stands. 

Our  camp  was  under  a  very  large  pine  tree,  one  of  the 
largest  in  that  country. 

Five  years  ago  I  visited  the  city  of  Pueblo  again,  the 
first  time  I  had  been  there  since  that  time. 

I  imagined  I  could  go  right  to  the  spot  where  our  camp 
was  located,  and  the  morning  after  I  arrived  there  I  took 
a  walk  on  the  main  buisness  street  which  I  thought  was 
about  where  our  camp  had  stood.  But  search  as  long  as 
I  might  there  was  nothing  to  show  me  a  sign  of  the  old 
land  maiks. 

I  went  to  the  river,  thinking  that  must  look  the  same, 
but,  no,  even  the  channel  of  that  had  been  changed. 

Amazed  at  the  change  civilization  had  wrought  in  obli- 
terating everything  that  I  had  thought  would  be  a  guide 
to  the  old  places  I  sought,  I  spoke  to  a  police  officer  and 
asked  him  if  he  could  tell  me   whether  a   very  large  tree 


366  WHAT    CIVILIZATION    HAD    DONE. 

had  stood  in  that  neighborhood  or  not  before  that  street 
was  laid  out. 

He  answered,  **Yes,  that  tree  stood  right  under  that 
brick  building,'*  and  he  pointed  to  a  large  building  near 
where  we  stood,  and  he  continued,  *  *As  long  as  the  tree 
stood  there,  it  was  called  **Freemont's  camping  ground." 

That  particular  spot  is  no  exception,  for  every  place  I 
have  visited  in  late  years  all  through  the  western  country 
has  met  with  the  same  change,  and  the  places  that  I  was 
familiar  with  in  my  youth  are  strange  to  me  now. 

The  place  that  is  now  called  the  city  of  Denver,  I  will 
take  for  an  example.  At  the  time  I  am  speaking  of,  the 
year  of  forty  eight,  and  for  several  years  later,  was  one 
of  the  greatest  Antelope  countries  in  all  the  west,  and  I 
think  I  am  safe  in  saying  that  there  were  not  fifty  white 
men  in  all  what  is  now  called  the  state  of  Colorado. 

I  visited  several  cities  in  that  state  a  year  ago,  and  it 
would  be  difficult  for  the  people  of  this  tim-e  to  under- 
stand the  feeling  of  surprise  that  I  experienced  when  I 
saw  what  civilization  had  done  to  every  place  I  visit- 
ed. 

On  the  Platte  river  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  city  of 
Denver  where  the  large  machine  shops  now  stand  is  the 
spot  where  the  largest  bands  of  Antelope  were  to  be 
found,  and  it  was  there  that  we  used  to  go  to  get  them 
every  morning  as  they  came  down  to  the  river  to 
drink. 

From  the  site  where   Amerillo  is  now   we  had  all  the 


STRANGE   HABITS   OF   THE   BUFFALO.  367 

Buffalo  meat  we  wanted,  and  when  we  struck  what  is 
now  the  city  of  Trinidad,  Colorado,  we  followed  the  stream 
known  as  and  called  the  *•  Picket  Wire,  "down  to  the 
Arkansas  river,  and  as  we  were  in  the  heart  of  the  Buf- 
falo country,  we  were  not  out  of  the  sight  of  herds  of 
Buffalo  all  the  way  down  to  that  river. 

It  would  be  an  impossibility  to  make  this  generation 
understand  the  numbers  of  herds  that  roamed  the  west- 
ern country.  While  the  Buffalo  was  the  most  numerous 
game  of  the  plains  they  were  the  most  strange  in  their 
habits.  They  made  the  round  trip  from  Texas  to  the 
head  of  the  Missouri  river  in  Dakota  and  back  again 
every  year.  As  soon  as  they  reached  one  end  of  their 
journey  they  invariably  turned  around  and  began  their 
journey  back.  Another  peculiarity  of  this  animal  was 
that  the  calves  never  followed  their  mother,  but  always 
proceeded  her,  and  in  case  of  fright,  or  when  she  thought 
them  in  danger  when  the  herd  started  on  the  run,  if  the 
calves  could  not  keep  up  with  the  others  the  mother 
would  push  her  calf  forward  with  her  nose. 

I  think  I  have  seen  a  mother  Buffalo  throw  her  calf  at 
least  ten  feet  in  one  push,  and  it  would  always  alight  on 
its  feet  and  not  break  its  run. 

When  we  reached  Bent's  Fort,  Capt.  McKee  asked  Col. 
Bent  how  the  gold  mines  were  on  Cherry  creek.  The  Col. 
laughed  and  said,  he  had  not  heard  from  them  in  about 
three  months,  and  the  last  news  he  had  from  there  were 
that   Cherry  creek  was   deserted,  so  by  that  he   thought 


368  '*YOU    WOULD    FREEZE   TO   DEATH." 

the  amount  of  gold  there  must  be  rather  limited,  and 
then  Capt,  McKee  told  him  that  he  had  fitted  up  a  com- 
pany and  had  come  all  the  way  from  Texas  to  dig  gold 
from  Cherry  creek. 

Col.  Bent  said,  **Well,  Capt.,  there  has  been  another 
discovery  made  on  what  is  called  Russel's  gulch  which  is 
a  tributary  of  Clear  creek,  and  I  have  no  doubt  but  there 
is  gold  to  be  found  there. " 

Capt.  McKee  asked  where  Clear  creek  was. 

Col.  Bent  said,  *'Ask  Will,  he  can  tell  you  better  than 
I  can,  for  he  has  trapped  all  over  that  country.'' 

I  told  the  Capt.  that  Clear  creek  was  about  ten  miles 
north  of  Cherry  creek  on  the  north  side  of  Platte  river 
and  I  said,  **Capt.,  if  Russel's  gulch  is  up  on  the  head  of 
Clear  creek,  you  could  not  get  there  this  winter  with 
horses,  for  at  this  time  in  the  year  the  snow  is  from  two 
to  ten  feet  deep,  and  it  is  the  coldest  country  you  ever 
struck,  and  your  Texas  boys  and  yourself  too  would  freeze 
to  death  before  you  got  half  way  to  the  mines." 

The  Capt.  asked  Col.  Bent,  if  he  had  any  idea  how 
many  miners   there  were  up  in   the  Russel  gulch  mines. 

He  answered,  ''Yes,  I  saw  them  when  they  started  on 
their  prospecting  trip,  and  there  are  six  of  them.  There 
were  seven  but  one  came  back  and  went  back  to  his  home 
in  Georgia. 

Green  Russel  was  the  leader,  and  the  mine  was  given 
his  name.  I  expect  there  will  be  a  great  stampede  from 
the  east  especially  from  Georgia  next  spring,  for  the  gold 


A   DISCOURAGED   COMPANY   PULLED   OUT.  369 

excitement  always  spreads  like  fire  in  dry  grass.'* 

Capt.  McKee  said,  ''Well,  I  believe  I  will  go  there  any 
way  and  see  what  there  is  in  it.  I  can  live  there  as 
cheaply  as  I  can  anywhere.  There  is  plenty  of  game 
there,  is  there  not.?"  he  said,  turning  to  me. 

I  said,  *'Yes,  there  is  plenty  of  game  all  around  the 
Platte  river  and  Cherry  creek,  but  if  you  go  there  I  ad- 
vise you  not  to  go  further,  than  the  mouth  of  Cherry 
creek  this  winter.  There  is  a  grove  of  timber  there  that 
you  can  make  your  camp  in,  and  you  could  put  up  a 
shack  to  protect  you  from  the  weather." 

The  Capt.  and  his  company  pulled  out  the  second  day 
after  this  talk,  but  it  was  very  plain  to  be  seen  that  the 
whole  company  was  much  discouraged  in  regard  to  the 
gold  mines. 

As  they  were  leaving  the  Fort  I  said  to  Capt.  McKee, 
•'When  you  come  back  in  the  spring,  Capt.  I  hope  I  shall 
hear  you  tell  about  the  grand  success  you  have  had  in 
panning  gold  on  Cherry  creek  this  winter." 

He  said,  '  •!(  there  is  any  gold  to  be  found  in  that  coun^ 
try  I  shall  find  it.  That  is  what  I  came  out  here  to 
do." 

As  soon  as  the  mining  company  had  gone  Col.  Bent 
said  to  me,  "Will,  do  you  want  to  go  and  trade  with  the 
Indians  for  me  now,  or  have  you  caught  the  gold  fever 
too?" 

I  answered,  "CoL  I  have  not  had  the  gold  fever  as 
yet,  and  I  do  not  think  there  is  any  danger  of  my  catch- 


f)PO  THE    PEOPLE    CAME    STREAMING    IN. 

ing  it  SO  I  am  ready  to  go  to  work  for  you,  trading  with 
the  Indians.'* 

Col.  Bent  laughed,  and  said,  * 'If  you  hav'nt  got  the 
fever  now,  Will,  I  will  bet  your  best  horse,  that  you  will 
catch  it  bad  when  the  rush  for  the  mines  comes  in  the 
spring. " 

At  that  time  I  had  no  idea  there  would  be  any  rush 
for  the  gold  mines,  for  I  thought  the  excitement  would 
die  out  before  spring,  because  so  many  had  been  disap- 
pointed in  the  fall,  but  in  this  I  was  mistaken,  for  by 
the  first  of  May  they  commenced  to  come  to  the  Fort  on 
their  way  to  the  mines,  and  by  the  first  of  June  one  could 
see  the  trains  stringing  along  for  miles  and  what  was  very 
amusing  to  me,  when  I  asked  them  where  they  were 
going,  they  invariably  answered,  ''Pike's  Peak." 

I  remember  one  train  that  I  met  that  spring  down  on 
the  Arkansas  river,  below  Bent's  Fort.  One  of  the  men 
asked  me,  if  I  could  tell  them  how  far  it  was  from  there 
to  Pike's  Peak.  I  said,  "No  sir,  I  can't  tell  you  how  far 
it  is,  but  I  can  show  it  to  you.  There  is  Pike's  Peak 
right  before  you,"  and  I  pointed  to  the  snowcapped 
mountain  that  could  be  seen  for  hundreds  of  miles. 

He  said,  "Oh  I  don't  mean  that.  I  want  to  find  out 
where  the  Pike's  Peak  gold  mine  is." 

I  told  him  that  I  had  never  heard  of  such  a  mine. 
This  seemed  to  surprise  him,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the 
whole  outfit  was  crowding  around  me  inquiring  about 
Pike's  Peak  mine. 


DR.    RUSSEL'iS    STORY.  371 

Then  I  told  them  what  the  report  had  been  about  the 
discovery  of  gold  at  Cherry  creek,  and  Russels  gulch. 

One  man  asked,  if  I  could  tell  them  where  Denver 
ffas,  and  that  was  a  question  I  could  not  answer,  for  I 
had  never  heard  of  a  place  called  Denver  before. 

I  asked  him  what  Denver  was.  A  new  mining  camp 
that  had  just  been  named,  or  what. 

*'Why'"  he  said,  '^Denver  is  a  city  close  to  Pikers 
Peak." 

I  answered,  *  ^Strange,  you  must  have  made  a  mistake 
in  the  locality  of  the  city  you  are  seeking,  I  have  traveled 
all  over  this  country  for  years,  and  I  never  saw  or  heard 
of  a  place  called  Denver  in  my  life." 

Then  they  told  me  that  Dr.  Russel,  one  of  the  discov- 
erers of  the  gold  mine  had  staid  all  night  at  the  town 
where  they  came  from  in  Missouri. 

When  he,  the  Dr.  was  on  his  way  home  to  Georgia 
last  fall  he  had  told  them,  what  wonderful  gold 
mines  had  been  discovered  up  in  the  mountains,  and 
there  was  a  large  city  building  in  the  valley  that  was  go- 
ing to  be  the  queen  city  of  the  west,  and  they  had  named 
the  city,  * 'Denver." 

I  was  young  then,  and  of  course  my  experience  was 
limited,  so  I  delieved  the  story  that  the  man  told,  not 
stopping  to  think  that  it  might  be  exaggerated,  as  an  ol- 
der person  might  have  done. 

I  was  going  down  the  Arkansas  river  on  my  last  trad- 
ing trip  with  the    Indians  for  that  season,  and   the  story 


372  CATGHING   THE    FEVER. 

of  the  wonderful  gold  mines  made  me  anxious  to  get 
back  to  Bent's  Fort.  I  had  very  good  success  in  this 
trade,  and  in  two  weeks  I  was  back  to  the  fort  with  my 
pack  horses  loaded    down  with    Buffalo  robes. 

After  I  had  settled  with  the  Col.  I  said,  *'I  reckon, 
you  would  have  won  the  wager,  if  we  had  made  the  bet 
last  fall  Col.,  for  I  am  afraid  I  have  a  touch  of  the  gold 
fever." 

Col.  Bent  laughed  and  said,  **I  thought  you  would  not 
escape  Will,  but  you  are  not  the  only  one  affected.  I 
have  news  for  you.  Kit  Carson,  and  Jim  Bridger  will  be 
here  in  a  few  days  from  Taos,  on  their  way  to  the  gold 
mines,  and  so  you  are  just  in  time  to  go  with  them." 

I  then  told  Col.  Bent  the  story  the  gold  seekers  had 
told  me  when  I  was  on  my  way  to  trade  with  the  Indians 
this  last  time. 

He  said,  *  'You  must  not  believe  all  the  stories  that  are 
floating  about  Will.  If  you  do  you  will  only  be  disap- 
pointed, for  in  a  time  when  people  are  excited,  as  they 
are  now  over  the  finding  of  gold,  there  will  be  all  kinds  of 
exaggerated  stories  told.  Some  of  them  will  be  told  in 
good  faith,  and  some  will  be  to  merely  mislead  too  credu- 
lous people.  So  take  my  advice  Will,  and  keep  cool  and 
don't  get  rattled." 

The  next  day  after  I  had  the  talk  with  Col.  Bent,  Uncle 
Kit,  and  Jim  Bridger  stopped  at  the  Fort  on  their  way 
to  the  new  gold  field.  Of  course  Uncle  Kit  was  as  glad 
to  see  me,  as  I  was  to  see  him,  and  was  rather  surprised 


SIX   LITTLE    LOG    SHACKS.  373 

when  I  told  him  that  I  was  all  ready  to  go  with  him  to 
the  mines. 

Jim  Bridger  said,  **What  are  you  going  there  for 
Will.?" 

I  said,  **I  am  going  to  help  you  pick  up  gold.  I  hav'nt 
any  use  for  it  myself,  but   I  just  want  to  help  you,  Jim." 

Uncle  Kit  said,  **I  guess,  what  gold  we  pick  up  won't 
hurt  any  of  us." 

The  morning  after  this  we  three  pulled  out  and  on  the 
fourth  day  out  we  landed  on  the  ground  where  the  city  of 
Denver  now  stands. 

It  was  the  first  of  June  in  the  year  of  fifty  nine,  and 
as  near  as  I  can  remember,  there  were  six  little  log 
shacks  scattered  around  the  west  side  of  Cherry  creek, 
which  at  that  time  was  called  *'Arora,"  and  the  east  side 
of  the  creek  was  called  **Denver,"  and  this  was  the 
Queen  city  of  the  west,  that  I  had  been  told  about  and 
had  come  to  see,  and  it  was  amazing  to  see  the  number 
of  people  that  were  coming  in  there  every  day.  They 
came  in  all  shapes.  They  came  in  wagons,  in  hand  carts 
and  on  horse  back. 

The  hand  carts  had  from  four  to  six  men  to  pull  them, 
and  I  saw  a  few  that  had  eight  men  pulling  one  cart. 

Uncle  Kit,  Bridger  and  I  remained  there  four  days, 
just  to  see  the  crowds  that  were  coming  in.  We  found 
out  the  way  to  Russels  gulch,  and  we  decided  to  go  up 
there. 

We  went  by  the  way  that  is  called  "Golden, "now,  but 


374  '*ARE   THESE    PEOPLE    CRAZY?'* 

of  course  there  was  no  such  place  then,  that  being  the 
general  camping  place  before  going  up  into  the  moun- 
tains. 

When  we  made  our  camp  on  the  bank  of  Clear  creek, 
where  the  city  of  Golden  now  stands,  I  think  we  could 
have  counted  two  hundred  wagons  in  sight  of  our  camp. 
Close  to  us  there  were  four  men  in  camp,  and  they  had 
one  wagon,  and  two  yoke  of  cattle  between  them. 

The  next  morning  they  were  up  earlier  than  we  were 
and  were  eating  their  breakfast  when  we  crawled  out  of 
our  blankets. 

As  soon  as  they  finished  eating,  they  hooked  up  their 
ox  teams  and  drove  down  to  the  creek,  and  stopped  at 
the  bank  and  commenced  to  throw  their  provisions  into 
the  water.  As  soon  as  Uncle  Kit  saw  the  men  doing  this, 
he  said,  * 'What  do  they  mean.^  Are  they  crazy .^  I  will 
go  and  see  what  is  the  matter.'* 

As  soon  as  he  got  in  speaking  distance  he  asked  them 
what  they  were  thro  wing  their  provisions  to  the  creek  for. 

One  of  the  men  stopped  and  answered,  **Weare  going 
back  to  Missouri,  and  our  oxens'  feet  are  so  tender  that 
they  can  hardly  walk,  let  alone  pull  this  load.'* 

Uncle  Kit  said,  **Why  don't  you  throw  the  stuff  on  the 
ground.^  If  you  don't  want  it  yourselves,  do  not  waste 
it  by  throwing  it  in  the  creek,  some  one  else  may  want  it.  '* 

One  of  them  said,  **I  had  not  thought  of  that,"  and 
they  threw  the  flour,  and  bacon,  and  coffee,  and  other 
small  packages  of  food  on  the  ground. 


A   MOST   DISCOURAGED   LOOKING   CROWD.  3/5 

There  must  have  been  as  much  as  twelve  hundred 
pounds  of  provisions  laying  on  the  ground  when  they 
got  through,  and  I  saw  the  contents  of  two  other  wagons 
share  the  same  fate  that  same  day.  How  long  that  stuff 
lay  there  I  do  not  know.  We  left  there  the  next  morn- 
ing, and  I  noticed  that  it  had  not  been  touched. 

I  never  saw  so  many  discouraged  looking  people  atone 
time  as  I  saw  in  those  wagons  that  were  camped  around 
Clear  creek.  I  visited  a  number  of  camps  where  six  or 
eight  men  would  be  sitting  around  a  little  fire  talking 
about  their  disappointment  in  not  finding  gold  to  take 
home  to  their  families,  and  some  of  them  were  crying  like 
children  as  they  said  the  expense  of  fitting  out  their  teams 
and  themselves  had  ruined  them  financially. 

This  spot  on  Clear  creek  seemed  to  be  the  turn  table 
for  the  gold  seekers.  They  either  went  up  the  moun- 
tain to  the  mines  or  became  discouraged  and  turned 
around  and  went  home,  and  I  do  not  believe  that 
one  out  of  ten  ever  left  the  creek  to  go  up  the  moun- 
tain. 

The  way  from  Clear  creek  to  the  mines  at  Rus- 
sels  gulch  was  through  the  mountains  with  nothing 
but  a  trail  to  travel  on,  and  the  roughest  country 
to  try  to  take  wagons  over  I  ever  saw. 

I  do  not  know  how  many  miles  it  was,  but  I  do 
remember  that  we  had  a  hard  day's  ride  from  Clear 
creek  to  Russel's  gulch,  and  we  did  not  ride  a  half  a 
mile  without  seeing  more  or  less  wagons  that  had  been 


376 


ABANDONED. 


left  beside  the  trail,  and  in  many  of  the  broken  wag- 
ons the  outfit  that  the  owner  had  started  with,  was  in 
the  wagon. 


I  bent  over  him  and  spoke  to  him,  but  he  did  not  answer. — Page  399. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


The  night  we  struck  the  mines  we  camped  near  the 
head  of  Russel's  gulch.  The  next  morning  after  we  had 
eaten  our  breakfast  we  started  out  to  take  a  look  around 
and  Bridger  said,  ** Where  in  the  name  of  common  sense 
do  these  people  come  from?"  for  look  in  any  direction  we 
would,  there  was  a  bunch  of  men  with  pick  and  shovel 
slung  over  their  backs,  and  every  little  while  we  came  on 
a  bunch  of  men  digging  a  hold  in  the  ground. 

Later  in  the  forenoon  we  went  to  Green  Russel's  cab- 
in, he  being  the  man  who  had  discovered  the  gold  in 
that  country.  He  had  never  met  Uncle  Kit  before  but 
had  heard  a  great  deal  about  him.  When  Carson  told 
him  his  name  he  invited  us  into  his  cabin.  After  we  had 
talked  with  him  awhile  he  said,  *'I  suppose  you  all  think 
that  I  am  to  blame  for  all  of  this  excitement,  but  if  you 
think  so  you  are  mistaken  so,  I  will  clear  your  mind  and 
vindicate    myself.      A  year  ago    last  spring  my   brother, 


(379) 


380  VINDICATION. 

myself,  and  five  other  men  came  out  here  to  prospect  for 
gold.  After  we  had  prospected  all  over  the  country  we 
discovered  this  gulch,  and  we  struck  good  pay  dirt  in  the 
first  hold  we  sunk.  We  fixed  up  a  couple  of  rockers  and 
went  to  work,  and  the  first  week  we  took  out  a  hundred 
dollars  to  a  rocker.  I  told  the  boys  that  this  was  good 
enough  for  me,  so  each  one  of  us  staked  off  a  claim  and 
to  prove  that  each  of  us  had  a  good  claim  we  sunk  a 
prospect  hole  on  every  claim,  and  we  found  that  one 
claim  was  as  good  as  another.  There  was  only  one  of  the 
party  who  had  a  family,  that  was  my  brother,  the  doc- 
tor, and  as  we  all  thought  that  we  had  a  good  thing,  my 
brother  concluded  that  he  would  go  home  and  fix  up  his 
affairs  this  winter  and  bring  his  family  out  here  in  the 
spring,  and  he  agreed  to  keep  our  finding  a  secret  from 
every  one  but  his  own  family,  but  it  seems  that  he  did 
not  keep  his  word  but  spread  the  news  of  our  luck  broad 
cast  as  soon  as  he  struck  the  first  white  settlement,  and 
the  waste  and  destruction  which  you  saw  all  along  the 
trail  from  Clear  creek  to  the  gulch  are  the  effects  of  his 
folly,  although  I  believe  that  there  are  other  mines  as 
good  as  this  in  other  parts  of  this  country,  but  mining 
for  gold  is  like  other  kinds  of  business,  only  one  man  out 
of  a  hundred  makes  a  success  out  of  it. 

The  next  day  we  were  looking  around,  and  we  came 
upon  two  young  men  who  said  they  were  brothers,  and 
they  were  so  excited  when  we  came  near  them,  that  they 
could  scarcely  talk.     They   had  been   sinking  a  prospect 


TWENTY   THOUSAND   DOLLARS   APIECE.  38 1 

hole  and  had  just  struck  pay  dirt. 

We  watched  them  pan  out  a  couple  of  pans,  and  they 
certainly  had  struck  it  rich.  After  they  had  staked  off 
their  claims,  Bridger  asked  them  what  name  they  would 
give  their  new  discovery.  They  said,  '^Thereis  a  spring 
at  the  head  of  this  ravine  where  we  have  often  drank 
aad  cooled  ourselves,  so  we  shall  call  our  mine,  * 'Spring 
gulch,"  and  I  was  told  by  miners  afterwards,  that  these 
brothers  had  surely  found  a  rich  mine,  for  it  extended 
the  whole  length  of  the  ravine. 

I  met  one  of  the  brothers  a  number  of  years  after  the 
time  I  saw  them  panning  out  the  gold,  and  he  told  me 
that  he  and  his  brother  took  twenty  thousand  dollars 
apiece  out  of  that  mine. 

The  next  day  we  were  knocking  around  the  mining 
camp,  and  we  ran  across  a  man  whose  name  was  Gregory. 
He  was  from  Georgia,  and  he  had  just  discovered  a 
quartz  lead  which  proved  to  be  very  rich  in  gold. 

He  showed  us  some  of  the  quartz  that  he  had  taken 
from  it,  and  we  could  see  the  gold  all  through  the  rock. 
He  said  that  when  he  sunk  down  a  hundred  feet  it  would 
be  twice  as  rich  in  gold  as  it  was  at  the  top. 

There  was  a  town  built  at  this  place,  and  it  was  called 
Gregory,  and  in  two  years  there  were  a  half  a  dozen 
quartz  mills  built  in  that  vicinity  and  quite  a  number 
more  quartz  ledges  had  been  discovered,  and  they  all 
paid  well. 

We  had  been  in  this  region  about  two  weeks,  when  I 


382  will's  regret. 

met  one  of  the  men  that  came  with  Capt.  McKee.  We 
were  both  surprised  to  see  each  other.  I  asked  him 
what  he  was  doing,  and  he  said  he  was  mining.  He  said, 
the  whole  company  was  mining  together  on  a  claim 
they  had  taken  up  on  south  Clear  creek  about  twelve 
miles  from  Russel's  gulch,  and  they  had  fifty  feet  of  sluice 
boxes  and  were  taking  out  from  five  to  seven  dollars  a 
day  to  a  man,  and  had  ground  enough  to  last  them  two 
years. 

He  insisted  on  my  going  back  with  him  to  see  the 
mine  and  said  that  I  could  have  an  equal  interest  with 
the  others  of  the  company,  if  I  would  join  them,  and  I 
have  always  regretted  that  I  did  not  go  and  make  them 
a  visit  at  least  for  I  never  saw  Capt.  McKee  again. 

I  was  told  afterwards  that  he  made  quite  a  good  stake, 
and  then  went  back  to  Texas  and  married  and  bought  a 
home  and  lived  and  died  on  it  about  seven  miles  north- 
east of  where  Mineral  wells  is  now,  and  I  will  say  here 
that  Capt.  McKee  was  like  many  of  his  noble  statesmen. 
He  was  brave,  kindly,  honest  and  true.  One  of  nature's 
noblemen.  He  did  not  interfere  with  any  man's  business 
and  allowed  no  one  to  meddle  with  his  business,  and  if 
he  professed  to  be  a  friend  he  was  a  friend  indeed, 
one  that  could  be  trusted  in  foul  weather  as  wall  as 
fair. 

Carson,  Bridger,  and  I  remained  at  Russel's  gulch 
about  three  weeks,  and  we  visited  many  claims,  and 
heard  the  shouts  of  the  successful  and  the  groans  of  those 


FIFTY    MILES    BY    THAT   TRAIL.  383 

who  failed,  and  we  all  three  decided  that  we  had  got 
enough  of  mining  by  looking  on  without  trying  our  hand 
at  it,  so  we  left  the  mining  camp  and  pulled  out  for  Den- 
ver, and  from  Russel's  gulch  to  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
taiu. 

We  were  never  out  of  sight  of  teams  of  every  descrip- 
tion and  nearly  every  person  we  met  asked  us  how  far  it 
was  to  Russel's  gulch. 

We  were  about  ten  miles  on  the  trail  towards  Denver 
when  a  man  asked  us  this  question,  and  Jim  Bridget 
answered  that  if  we  were  anywhere  else  in  the  United 
States  it  would  be  ten  miles  to  Russel's  gulch,  but  by 
that  trail  he  reckoned  it  was  about  fifty. 

The  man  said,  **Does*nt  the  road  get  any  better?" 

Jim  said,  *'I  don't  call  this  path  a  road,  but  if  you  do 
I  will  tell  you  that  it  gets  worse  all  the  way  up." 

When  we  reached  the  foot  of  the  mountains  at  the 
crossing  at  Clear  creek  we  found  more  campers  there 
than  when  we  left  three  weeks  before.  As  we  were  riding 
along  Bridger  said,  * 'Where,  do  you  suppose,  all  these 
people  came  from.?"  Kit  Carson  answered,  **Oh  they 
have  come  from  all  over  the  east.  This  excitement  has 
spread  like  wild  fire  all  over  the  country. " 

Up  to  this  time  we  had  seen  but  very  few  families  in 
the  crowds  of  gold  seekers,  but  when  we  got  to  Denver 
on  our  return  from  the  mines  we  saw  that  a  great  many 
of  the  emigrants  had  their  whole  families  with  them, 
and  it  was   surprising  to  see  the  number   of  cabins  that 


384  A   CITY    SPRUNG    UP    OVER    NIGHT. 

had  been  built  in  so  short  a  time,  and  we  saw  a  number 
of  teams  hauling  logs  from  the  foot  of  the  mountains  to 
build  more  cabins,  and  there  had  been  several  little  build- 
ings built  and  furnished  with  groceries  and  dry  goods 
since  we  had  left  there. 

The  evening  we  got  to  Denver  we  went  a  little  ways 
up  the  Platte  river  to  find  a  place  to  camp,  and  whom 
should  we  meet  but  our  old  friend  Jim  Beckwith.  As 
Carson  shook  his  hand  he  said,  ''Why,  Beckwith,  I 
thought  you  had  more  sense  than  to  be  caught  in  a  scrape 
like  this." 

Beckwith  laughed  and  answered,  *'Well,  Kit,  I  see  I 
am  not  the  only  durned  fool  in  the  country,  you  seem  to 
be  caught  in  the  same  scrape  with  me,"  and  for  the  next 
half  hour  it  was  amusing  to  hear  the  jokes  these  three 
old  friends  tossed  at  each  other,  for,  of  course,  Bridger 
joined  in. 

After  they  had  their  fun  with  each  other  Carson  asked 
Beckwith  what  he  was  doing  here.  Beckwith  answered, 
*'I  have  staked  off  a  claim  here  Kit,  it  is  not  a  claim 
either,  it  is  a  farm, "  and  he  pointed  to  a  little  bunch  of 
timber  a  short  distance  frcm  our  camp.  ^*I  intended  to 
build  a  cabin  in  that  grove  of  timber,"  which  he  after- 
wards did,  and  he  lived  there  about  thirty  years  and  died 
there  about  fourteen  years  ago  as  I  was  informed  a  year 
ago,  when  I  was  in  Denver  for  the  first  time  since  Carson, 
Bridger  and  I  camped  on  his  claim. 

When  Jim  Beckwith  told  us  that  he  had  taken  up  land 


THE  MAN  DROPPED  DEAD.  385 

and  was  going  to  build  on  it  and  make  himself  a  home 
there,  I  wondered  what  he  would  do  to  make  a  living. 
The  land  seemed  to  be  fertile  enough,  but  I  did  not  see 
any  chance  to  sell  what  he  might  raise  if  he  tried  farm- 
ing, but  I  was  told  that  he  cultivated  the  land  for  awhile 
and  then  it  was  too  valuable.  So  he  cut  it  up  into  lots 
and  sold  it,  and  now  it  is  covered  with  business  houses 
and  residences,  and  all  this  change  has  taken  place  in 
forty-nine  years. 

As  I  stood  and  looked  at  the  streets  and  blocks  of 
houses  I  found  myself  almost  doubting  that  that  was 
the  spot  where  we  camped  forty-nine  years  ago.  When 
memory  called  back  to  my  mind  what  a  barren,  desolate 
country  it  was  at  that  time  it  almost  seemed  incredible 
that  such  a  large  city  could  be  built  and  such  a  vast 
change  be  made  in  less  than  fifty  years,  and  not  only  in 
this  particular  spot  but  for  miles  and  miles  all  through 
the  surrounding  country. 

While  we  were  in  camp  I  was  down  on  the  banks  of 
Cherry  Creek  one  day,  and  there  were  fifteen  or  twenty 
Indians  sitting  on  the  bank,  and  among  them  was  a 
squaw  who  had  a  pistol  in  her  hand.  She  seemed  to  be 
playing  with  it,  when  several  white  men  came  along  and 
one  of  them  was  intoxicated.  This  one  went  up  to  the 
squaw  and  taking  hold  of  the  pistol  tried  to  wrench  it 
from  her  hand,  and  in  the  struggle  the  pistol  was  dis- 
charged and  the  man  dropped  dead.  Seme  of  his  com- 
panions threatened  to  take  vengeance  on  the  Indians, 


3$6  THE  ki-a-wah's  invitation. 

but  there  were  so  many  other  white  men  standing  around 
that  had  witnessed  the  whole  affair  and  knew  the  Indians 
had  done  nothing  to  be  molested  for,  would  not  allow 
the  Indians  to  be  troubled.  So  the  men  took  the  body 
away,  and  that  was  the  end  of  the  affair. 

That  evening  a  band  of  Ki-a-Wah  Indians  came  into 
the  town  and  camped  where  the  state  house  now  stands- 
I  happened  to  meet  some  of  them,  and  being  acquainted 
with  them  I  stopped  and  talked  with  them,  and  they 
told  me  that  they  were  going  to  have  a  peace  smoke  and 
a  dance  next  day,  and  they  wanted  me  to  join  them, 
which,  knowing  it  would  not  be  wise  to  decline,  I 
promised  to  do. 

When  I  went  back  to  camp  I  told  Uncle  Kit  and  the 
others  of  the  invitation  I  had  received  and  accepted. 
Uncle  Kit  said,  **I  guess  we  are  too  old  to  take  a  part  in 
the  dance,  but  we  can  go  and  look  on  and  watch  the 
fun.'*  We  did  not  go  to  the  Indian  camp  until  near 
noon  the  next  day,  and  I  think  there  were  two  or  three 
hundred  white  men,  women  and  children  standing  around 
the  camp  when  we  got  there,  and  the  majority  of  them 
had  never  seen  an  Indian  before. 

As  Uncle  Kit,  and  Bridger  and  Beckwith  did  not  wish 
to  take  a  part  in  the  performance  they  kept  out  of  sight 
of  the  Indians,  and  I  went  into  the  camp,  and  as  soon  as 
I  arrived  the  Indians  commenced  to  form  the  circle  for 
the  peace  smoke. 

We  had  all  just  taken  our  seats,  and  the  head  chief 


THE  UNLUCKY  PHOTOGRAPHER.  38/ 

was  in  the  act  of  lighting  the  pipe  when  he  sang  out 
*'0  Wah,"  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  and  in  an  instant 
every  Indian  sprang  to  his  feet  and  started  to  run.  I 
could  not  think  what  was  the  matter  until  I  looked 
around  and  saw  a  man  a  short  distance  from  us  with  a 
camera  in  the  act  of  taking  a  photo  of  us,  but  he  never 
got  the  picture,  for  not  an  Indian  stopped  running  until 
his  wigwam  hid  him  from  view. 

The  man  with  the  camera  looked  the  disappointment 
he  felt  as  he  came  to  me  and  asked  if  I  were  acquainted 
with  those  Indians. 

He  said,  *'What  in  creation  was  the  matter  with 
them  ?  What  made  them  get  up  and  run  ?  I  would 
rather  have  given  fifty  dollars  than  miss  taking  that 
picture." 

I  CDuld  scarcely  answer  him  I  was  so  choked  with 
laughter.  But  I  managed  to  tell  him  that  I  reckoned 
the  Indians  thought  that  he  had  some  infernal  machine 
pointed  at  them  that  would  blow  them  all  to  the  happy 
hunting  grounds. 

He  asked  me  if  I  would  go  and  tell  the  chief  that  the 
camera  would  not  hurt  them  and  try  to  make  them  un- 
derstand what  he  was  doing  with  it.  He  said,  **If  you 
can  persuade  them  to  let  me  take  a  photo  of  them  I  will 
pay  you  well  for  your  trouble." 

I  told  him  I  would  try,  but  I  was  doubtful  of  his 
getting  the  picture. 

So  I  went  to  the  chief's  wigwam  and  tried  to  explain 


388  ALL   THE   EMIGRANTS   WERE   KILLED. 

to  him  and  to  persuade  him  to  have  him  and  all  the  band 
sit  for  their  pictures  to  be  taken. 

The  chief  shook  his  head  and  said,  **Hae-Lo-Hae-Lo 
white  man  heap  devil,"  which  meant  *'l  will  not  that 
the  white  man  would  do  them  some  evil,"  and  then  he 
said  he  was  afraid  that  the  white  man  with  the  big  gun 
wanted  to  kill  all  his  warriors,  and  all  that  I  could  say 
would  not  change  his  mind. 

Carson,  Bridger  and  I  staid  at  Denver  three  weeks, 
and  then  we  went  back  to  Bent's  Fort,  and  when  we  left 
Denver  the  town  and  the  country  in  every  direction  was 
covered  with  wagons  belonging  to  emigrants  that  the 
excitement  about  gold  having  been  discovered  in  the 
mountains  had  brought  to  Denver  and  the  surrounding 
country. 

We  reached  Bent's  Fort  late  in  the  afternoon,  and 
had  not  been  there  over  an  hour  when  three  men  and  a 
boy  came  in  on  foot  and  brought  the  news  that  the 
Indians  had  attacked  a  train  of  emigrants  and  killed 
them  all.  The  emigrants  were  on  their  way  back  east, 
from  Cherry  Creek,  where  they  had  been  led  to  believe 
that  gold  had  been  discovered. 

The  men  that  brought  the  news  of  the  massacre  were 
so  excited  that  they  could  not  tell  how  many  people  had 
been  killed  or  how  many  wagons  were  in  the  train. 
They  said  that  the  train  had  just  broke  camp  and  started 
on  their  way  when  they  heard  the  report  of  guns  at  the 
head  of  the  train,  and  in  a  moment  more  the  Indians 


*'ARE   YOU   GOING    THERE,    KIT?"  389 

came  pouring  down  upon  them,  shooting  every  one  they 
met  with  their  bows  and  arrows,  **and,"  continued  they, 
*  'when  we  saw  them  shooting  and  yelling  we  broke  and 
run  before  they  got  to  us,  and  we  did  not  stop  until  we 
got  here. "  They  said  all  this  in  a  frightened,  breathless 
way,  that  showed  how  excited  they  were. 

Col.  Bent  sent  the  men  and  boy  into  the  dining  room 
to  get  something  to  eat,  and  Uncle  Kit  followed  them 
to  try  to  get  some  more  definite  information  regarding 
the  massacre.  After  a  while  Uncle  Kit  came  back  and 
Col.  Bent  asked  him  what  he  thought  of  the  news  the 
men  had  brought.  Carson  answered  that  the  men  in 
the  dining  room  did  not  know  anything,  and  that  he 
thought  they  were  a  party  of  emigrants  who  were  disap- 
pointed and  angry  at  their  luck,  and  they  had  tried  to 
vent  their  spite  on  some  Indians  they  had  met  by  firing 
on  them,  and  had  got  the  worst  of  the  fight. 

**You  know.  Colonel,  that  the  Commanches  have  not 
troubled  any  white  people  in  a  number  of  years  without 
they  were  aggravated  to  do  so.  '* 

Col.  Bent  said,  *'Well,  Kit,  are  you  going  down  there 
to  investigate  the  matter.?" 

Carson  answered,  **Yes;  and  won't  you  send  three  men 
along  to  bury  the  dead.?" 

Col.  Bent  said,  * 'Certainly,  Kit,  and  anything  else  you 
want.     When  do  you  want  to  start.?" 

Carson  said,  **We  will  start  now." 

Carson,  Bridger,  myself  and  three  other  men  left  the 


390  THE   SIGHT   WAS   A   HORRIBLE   ONE. 

fort  for  the  scene  of  the  massacre,  which  we  reached  at 
the  break  of  day  the  next  morning,  and  the  sight  that 
met  our  eyes  was  a  horrible  one.  We  found  twenty- 
three  dead  bodies  close  together,  apparently  where  the 
attack  had  commenced,  and  down  near  the  river,  in  the 
brush,  we  found  five  more,  and  also  four  living  men  who 
were  not  hurt,  but  frightened  nearly  to  death. 

After  Carson  had  talked  with  these  men  a  while  and 
they  had  recovered  a  little  sense,  they  told  how  the 
dreadful  thing  occurred. 

They  had  just  pulled  out  from  camp  that  morning 
when  they  met  the  Indians.  There  were  several  men 
on  horseback  riding  on  ahead  of  the  wagons.  When 
they  met  the  Indians  they  commenced  to  shout  ''How- 
How,"  and  the  horsemen  began  to  fire  on  the  Indians 
without  the  Indians  doing  a  thing  to  provoke  them,  and 
then  the  Indians  had  turned  on  them  and  killed  every 
white  person  they  could  find,  but  that  they  had  not  been 
seen  by  the  Indians,  as  they  ran  down  the  river  and  hid 
in  the  brush. 

We  searched  thoroughly  the  brush  all  around  for  quite 
a  distance  but  we  could  find  no  more  living  or  dead. 

We  could  not  find  out  by  these  men  how  many  there 
were  in  the  train  any  more  than  we  could  of  the  men 
that  came  with  the  news  to  the  fort. 

We  began  to  bury  the  dead  and  the  four  men  com- 
menced to  look  after  the  teams  and  wagons. 

In  a  little  while  they  came  back  driving  three  teams. 


THE  INDIANS  HAVE  TO  SUFFER  FOR  IT  ALL.   39I 

and  said  they  had  found  them  hooked  together,  feeding 
along  quietly,  and  they  found  that  nothing  had  been 
touched  or  carried  away  from  the  wagons. 

After  Uncle  Kit  had  learned  the  cause  of  the  massacre 
I  think  he  was  the  most  out  of  humor  that  I  ever  saw 
him.  He  said,  *  'Such  men  as  the  ones  who  fired  on 
those  Indians  deserve  to  be  shot,  for  they  are  not  fit  to 
Hve  in  any  country,'*  and  turning  to  Bridger  he  said, 
*Jim,  it  has  always  been  such  men  as  they  that  has 
made  bad  Indians  and  caused  most  all  the  trouble  the 
whites  have  had  with  them,  and  still  the  Indians  are 
blamed  for  it  ali,  and  have  to  suffer  for  it  all.  I  hope  I 
shall  live  to  see  the  day  when  these  things  will  be 
changed  in  this  respect,  and  the  Indians  will  have  more 
justice  shown  them." 

But  I  am  very  sorry  to  say  that  Uncle  Kit  did  not  live 
to  see  this  accomplished.  It  was  fifty  years  ago  that 
Kit  Carson  expressed  that  wish  in  regard  to  the  Indians, 
but  it  has  never  been  gratified,  for  in  all  that  time  the 
Indians  have  been  driven  from  one  place  to  another,  and 
not  allowed  to  rest  anywhere  long  at  a  time,  and  in  my 
opinion  certainly  have  not  had  justice  done  them  by  the 
white  race,  and  I  will  say  this  from  my  own  experience, 
that  when  an  Indian  professes  to  be  a  friend  he  is  a 
friend  indeed,  in  storm  as  well  as  sunshine. 

I  will  tell  an  instance  that  occurred  four  years  ago 
when  I  was  in  Indian  Territory.  I  was  sitting  on  the 
street  in  one  of  the  towns  when  an  old  Kiowa  Indian 


392  AN    INDIAN     FRIENDSHIP. 

came  along,  and  looked  at  me  quite  sharply,  and  walked 
on  a  few  steps,  then  turned  and  looked  at  me  again,  and 
then  he  came  back  to  me  and  slapped  me  on  the  shoulder 
and  said,  "A- Po- Lilly,"  which  meant  **Long  time  ago 
me  know  you."  I  looked  at  him  and  said,  **No,  you  are 
mistaken,  I  do  not  know  you,'*  and  then  he  told  me 
where  he  had  met  me  and  what  I  had  done  for  him,  and 
as  he  recounted  what  had  happened  I  remembered  the 
incident. 

The  time  I  had  first  met  him  I  was  out  hunting  and 
met  him  in  the  forest.  It  was  in  the  Territory  of 
Wyoming,  and  he  had  had  a  fight  with  the  Siouxs,  and 
they  had  shot  his  horse,  and  he  was  hungry  and  tired 
and  footsore.  I  took  him  to  my  camp  and  fed  him  and 
kept  him  all  night,  and  the  next  morning  I  gave  him  a 
horse  so  he  could  ride  back  to  his  tribe  in  more  comfort, 
and  I  had  not  seen  him  since  that  morning,  and  this 
happened  forty  years  before  I  saw  him  again,  and  he 
remembered  me.  He  shook  hands  with  me,  which  is  a 
custom  the  Indians  have  not  outgrown,  and  left  me,  but 
in  a  few  minutes  he  returned  with  at  least  forty  of  his 
tribe  with  him,  and  I  had  to  shake  hands  with  every  one 
of  them  Some  of  them  could  speak  good  English,  and 
they  told  me  the  story  he  had  told  them  about  my  being 
kind  to  him,  and  they  all  called  me  their  friend.  This 
incident  shows  that  the  Indian  appreciates  kindness. 

After  we  had  buried  the  emigrants,  which  took  nearly 
two  days  to  do,  Carson  asked  the  men  who  bad  escaped 


**HERE   IS   YOUR    CHANCE,    BOYS.  39 J 

being  massacred  where  they  were  going  and  what  they 
intended  to  do. 

One  of  them  answered,  *'If  you  men  will  stay  with  us 
all  night,  we  will  talk  it  over  and  decide  what  we  had 
better  do." 

Carson  said  we  had  better  stay  with  them  that  night, 
so  we  made  a  fire  and  prepared  supper,  and  while  we 
were  eating  we  saw  several  more  wagons  coming  down 
the  trail  near  the  river. 

Uncle  Kit  said  to  the  men  that  were  with  us,  *'Now  is 
your  chance,  boys.  You  can  join  this  train  and  go  home 
with  them.*' 

When  the  teams  drove  up  the  three  men  and  the  boy 
we  had  left  at  the  fort  were  with  them. 

They  all  camped  here  with  us,  and  after  talking  with 
the  men  we  found  out  that  none  of  them  claimed  the 
teams  and  wagons  that  had  been  found.  The  owners  of 
them  had  all  been  killed.  The  survivors  did  not  know 
what  to  do  with  the  wagons  and  their  contents,  and 
they  appealed  to  Uncle  Kit  for  advice  in  the  matter. 

Carson  said:  *'I  do  not  see  that  you  can  do  better  than 
take  them  along  with  you.  If  you  leave  them  here 
somebody  will  come  along  and  take  them,  and  they 
belong  as  much  to  you  as  to  anyone." 

So  the  next  morning  they  rigged  up  five  wagons  with 
three  yoke  of  cattle  to  a  wagon,  leaving  eight  wagons 
with  their  contents  standing  where  their  owners  had  left 
them  when  the  Indians  had  killed  them. 


304  FATE   CHANGED     MY   PLANS. 

As  they  were  ready  to  pull  out  Uncle  Kit  went  to  them 
and  asked  them  to  give  him  their  names  and  where  they 
lived,  ''for,"  he  said,  **if  I  ever  hear  where  any  of  the 
people  lived  who  owned  the  property  you  have  taken 
with  you,  I  want  to  write  to  you  so  you  can  give  them 
to  their  families." 

We  then  bid  them  all  good  bye,  and  they  started  on 
their  journey  home,  Carson  having  advised  them  not  to 
molest  the  Indians,  no  matter  how  many  or  how  few 
they  might  meet  on  their  way,  and  then  the  Indians 
would  not  molest  them,  as  they  were  a  friendly  tribe, 
and  that  was  the  last  we  ever  saw  or  heard  of  that 
party. 

We  now  turned  back  to  Bent's  Fort  and  reached  there 
just  before  night.  Col,  Bent's  herder  took  care  of  our 
horses. 

That  night  Carson,  Bridger  and  I  consulted  together, 
and  Bridger  and  I  decided  to  go  with  Uncle  Kit  to  his 
home  at  Taos,  Mexico,  and  stay  a  month  with  him,  but 
fate  seemed  to  step  in  and  change  my  plans. 

The  next  morning  when  the  herder  went  out  to  get  our 
horses  he  found  a  man  crawling  along,  trying  to  get  to 
the  Fort,  who  was  nearly  starved  and  so  weak  that  he 
could  hardly  speak. 

The  herder  put  him  on  his  horse  and  brought  him  to 
the  Fort,  and  we  gave  him  some  food.  He  said  this  was 
the  first  time  he  had  broken  his  fast  in  four  days,  and 
then  he  went  on  to  tell  that  he  and  his  comrades,  which 


WE   LOST   OUR   WAY.  395 

Were  four  altogether,  had  been  among  the  first  to  come 
out  to  Cherry  Creek  in  search  of  gold  the  spring  before, 
and  after  they  got  there  they  were  so  disappointed  to 
find  that  there  was  not  enough  gold  there  to  pay  them 
to  stay,  that  they  concluded  to  go  and  prospect  on  their 
own  hooks.  Each  of  them  had  taken  as  much  pro- 
visions as  he  could  carry,  with  his  gun  and  blanket,  pick 
and  shovel,  and  they  had  struck  out  into  the  mountains. 
They  had  kept  on  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain  until  they 
passed  the  Arkansaw  river,  and  here  they  went  up  into 
the  mountains  and  soon  lost  their  way. 

**How  long  we  were  traveling  or  where  we  went,  I  do 
not  know,"  continued  the  unfortunate  man,  *'and  finally 
we  forgot  the  day  of  the  week.  As  long  as  our  amuni- 
tion  lasted  we  did  not  lack  for  something  to  eat,  and 
foolishly  we  sometimes  shot  game  we  did  not  need,  and 
after  a  while  our  amunition  gave  out,  and  when  that 
happened  it  was  not  long  until  all  the  other  stuff  was 
gone,  and  we  could  not  tell  where  we  were  until  we  got 
out  of  the  mountains  and  saw  Pike's  Peak,  as  we  knew 
what  direction  Pike's  Peak  was  from  Cherry  Creek. 

We  knew  then  what  direction  to  take  to  get  back. 
The  second  night  after  we  left  the  mountains  one  of  the 
boys  was  taken  very  sick,  and  as  we  could  not  think  of 
leaving  him  to  die  alone,  and  we  had  nothing  to  eat  for 
him  or  for  ourselves,  and  I  being  the  strongest,  they 
picked  me  to  go  and  try  to  get  relief.  It  has  been  four 
days  and  nights  since  I  left  them,  and  I  do  not  believe 


396  NOBODY    KNOWS   WHAT   I    SUFFERED. 

I  have  slept  over  two  hours  at  a  time  since  I  started,  I 
was  so  anxious  to  find  help  to  go  to  them,  and  besides  I 
was  so  hungry  I  could  not  rest.  Many  a  time  I  have 
walked  as  long  as  I  could  keep  my  eyes  open,  and  I 
would  drop  down  besides  a  log  and  fall  asleep  before'  I 
struck  the  ground  and  sleep  an  hour  or  two,  and  then 
awoke  with  that  dreadful  gnawing  in  my  stomach.  Then 
I  got  up  again  and  struggled  on,  but  I  could  not  have 
gone  much  farther  when  the  herder  got  up  to  me,  for 
my  strength  was  nearly  gone,  and  I  should  have  given 
up  and  died  very  soon.  Nobody  knows  what  I  have 
suffered  on  this  trip,  except  they  that  have  gone  through 
the  same  ordeal.  We  have  about  one  hundred  dollars 
between  us,  and  we  are  willing  to  give  it  to  any  one  who 
will  go  and  carry  something  to  eat  and  help  my  comrades 
to  come  here." 

The  looks  of  the  man  and  the  pleading  way  he  talked, 
and  the  faithfulness  to  his  friends  in  trying  to  get  help  to 
them  was  more  pathetic  than  any  romance  could  describe 
it,  and  could  not  help  to  appeal  to  the  heart  of  any 
man. 

With  the  light  of  deep  sympathy  in  his  eyes,  Uncle 
Kit  stepped  forward  and,  stretching  out  his  hand  toward 
the  unfortunate,  exclaimed:  *'Do  not  worry  another 
moment;  your  comrades  shall  have  assistance  at  once, 
or  as  soon  as  I  can  reach  them,"  and  turning  to  me. 
Uncle  Kit  said,  * 'Willie,  come  outside  with  me  a 
moment, "  and  when  I  looked  at  him  after  I  had  followed 


* 'WILLIE,  MY  BOY,  CAN'T  YOU  FIND  THOSE  MEN  ?"      39/ 

him  I  saw  the  tears  on  his  cheeks.  I  had  known  Kit 
Carson  several  years,  but  this  was  the  first  time  I  had 
seen  him  moved  to  tears.  He  said,  ** Willie,  my  boy, 
can't  you  find  these  men  as  well  as  any  one?" 

I  answered:  **Yes,  sir;  if  this  man  can  give  me  any 
clue  to  follow  I  will  find  them  in  short  order,  for  I  have 
been  all  over  those  mountains  and  through  the  valley 
several  times,  and  know  the  country  well." 

He  said:  **Well,  I  thought  you  could  fill  the  bill  if 
any  one  could,  Willie;  and  now  go  and  have  three 
horses  saddled,  and  I  will  have  some  grub  fixed  up,  and 
by  that  time  the  man  will  have  finished  eating  and  will 
be  more  fit  to  talk  to  you.*' 

My  horses  were  soon  ready,  and  I  went  in  to  see  the 
man.  When  I  went  in  the  room  where  he  was  I  found 
him  lying  on  a  cot,  and  after  I  had  talked  with  him  a 
few  moments,  I  decided  in  my  mind  he  had  left  his  com- 
rades not  far  from  where  the  city  of  Trinidad  now  stands. 
He  gave  me  the  description  of  nearly  all  the  mountains 
and  streams  he  had  crossed  on  his  way  to  the  Fort  after 
he  had  left  his  friends,  and  I  thought  if  he  had  been 
correct  in  his  description  of  his  route  I  could  find  the 
suffering  men  without  much  difficulty.  When  I  went 
out  to  v/here  the  horses  were  waiting  for  me  I  found 
Uncle  Kit  had  packed  about  forty  pounds  of  grub  on 
one  of  the  horses.  Col.  Bent  handed  me  a  pint  flask  of 
whiskey,  saying,  **Now,  if  these  men  are  alive  when  you 
find  them  give  them  a  small  quantity  of  this,  but  be  very 


398  THE   LONELY  JOURNEY. 

careful  not  to  give  them  too  much  at  a  time,  and  the 
same  care  must  be  taken  in  giving  them  food." 

As  I  was  starting  Uncle  Kit  said:  *'Now,  Willie,  if 
you  are  successful  in  finding  the  men  I  hope  to  hear 
from  you  in  two  or  three  weeks.  Jim  and  I  will  leave 
here  to-day  for  Taos,  and  you  will  find  us  there  when 
you  come  home,*'  and  he  gave  me  his  hand,  and  with  a 
lingering  pressure  said,  **Good  bye,  and  God  speed  you 
on  your  errand  of  mercy,  my  boy. " 

And  I  mounted  my  horse  and  left  the  Fort,  and  was 
ofi  on  my  long,  lonely  journey  over  trackless  prairies 
and  through  mountain  passes  that  had  perhaps  never 
been  trodden  by  a  white  man  before,  and  no  one  can 
realize  how  lonely  this  journey  was.  I  did  not  think 
much  about  it  myself  until  I  made  my  camp  the  first 
night.  After  I  had  staked  out  my  horses  and  built  a 
fire  I  began  to  realize  what  a  dreadful  state  the  lost  men 
must  be  in,  for  if  I  was  so  hungry,  who  had  eaten  a  good 
meal  at  noon,  what  must  they  be  suffering  who  had  had 
nothing  to  eat  in  five  days?  The  thoughts  of  the  suffer- 
ing men  whom  I  hoped  to  rescue  from  death  kept  me 
awake  most  of  the  night,  and  I  fully  decided  that  this 
was  the  last  time  I  would  try  to  sleep  until  I  knew 
whether  they  were  living  or  dead.  I  was  up  with  the 
dawn  the  next  morning  and  on  the  way,  and  I  thought 
if  I  did  not  meet  with  any  bad  luck  to  detain  me  I  would 
be  in  the  vicinity  of  the  men  I  sought  by  night. 

From  this  time  out  I  knew  I  must  be  very  careful  to 


I    SAW    THE    GLIMMER    OF    A    LITTLE    FIRE.  399 

look  for  signs  of  the  lost  men,  as  hunger  might  drive 
them  to  leave  the  place  where  their  comrade  had  directed 
me  to  look  for  them.  When  I  was  a  little  west  of  where 
the  city  of  Waltzingburge  now  stands  and  the  darkness 
was  beginning  to  close  down  I  saw  the  glimmer  of  a 
little  fire  off  to  the  right,  at  what  looked  about  a  half 
mile  from  me.  I  thought  it  might  be  an  Indian  camp 
and  directed  my  course  that  way,  but  when  I  was  within 
sight  of  it  and  was  within  a  hundred  yards  or  so  of  the 
fire  I  could  not  see  a  soul  stirring  around  it,  but  I  kept 
on  up  to  the  fire,  and  suddenly  my  horse  came  near 
stepping  on  a  man  who  lay  on  the  ground  with  bare 
feet  and  nothing  under  or  over  him.  I  sprang  from  my 
horse  and  bent  over  him,  and  spoke  to  him,  but  he  did 
not  answer  or  move.  I  then  took  hold  of  his  shoulder 
and  shook  him  gently,  and  he  seemed  to  rouse  up  a  little. 
I  said,  *'What  are  you  laying  here  for?'  and  he  mur- 
mured in  a  voice  so  weak  I  had  to  bend  my  ear  close  to 
him  to  hear,  *'I  have  laid  down  to  die." 

I  pulled  the  flask  of  whiskey  from  my  pocket  and 
raised  him  on  my  arm  and  wet  his  lips  with  a  few  drops 
of  the  whiskey.  I  repeated  this  several  times,  as  he 
seemed  to  have  relapsed  into  unconsciousness,  and  I  was 
afraid  I  was  too  late  to  save  him  or  bring  him  back  to 
consciousness. 

I  laid  him  down,  and  built  the  fire  anew,  and  un- 
packed my  horse,  and  got  my  blankets  and  made  a 
pallet  and  lifted  him  on  it.      Lifting  him  seemed  to  re- 


400  THE    ONLY    SURVIVOR. 

vive  him,  and  the  fire  light  showed  me  that  he  had 
opened  his  eyes,  and  he  put  his  hand  on  his  stomach 
and  whispered,    **Oh,  how  hungry  I  am.'* 

I  gave  him  a  small  sup  of  whiskey,  and  taking  a  piece 
of  buffalo  meat  from  my  pack  I  soon  had  it  broiled,  and 
with  some  bread  I  began  to  feed  him  in  small  morsels. 

I  continued  to  do  this  for  perhaps  half  an  hour,  as  he 
was  too  weak  to  swallow  much  at  a  time,  and  I  had  to 
wait  some  moments  before  giving  him  another  m.orsel, 
and  between  times  I  gave  him  a  taste  of  the  whiskey. 
Up  to  now  I  had  no  idea  he  was  one  of  the  men  I  was 
hunting  for. 

It  was  perhaps  an  hour  from  the  time  that  I  com- 
menced to  feed  him  when  he  seemed  to  come  to  himself, 
and  I  thought  that  he  v/as  strong  enough  to  answer  me, 
so  I  asked  him  how  he  cams  to  be  here  in  the  weak, 
almost  dicing  condition  that  I  had  found  him  in,  and 
then  he  told  me  who  he  was  and  how  he  came  to  be 
there,  and  I  knew  he  was  the  only  survivor  left  alive  of 
the  three  whom  I  had  started  out  to  find. 

He  said  that  he  had  not  had  a  bite  to  eat  in  seven 
days,  only  what  nourishment  he  could  get  by  chewing 
his  moccasins. 

Ilrf  had  soaked  them  in  water  until  they  were  soft,  and 
then  broiled  them  on  the  coals  and  ate  them. 

I  told  him  how  his  comrade  had  been  picked  up  near 
Bent's  Fort  in  an  exhausted  condition,  and  how  he  had 
begged  some  one  to  go  to  the  relief  of  those  he  had  left 


''1  SOAKED  MY  MOCCASINS  AND  BROILED  THEM."       4OI 

starving,  and  that  I  had  started  out  to  find  them  if  I 
could. 

He  said  the  one  who  first  fell  sick  died  the  same 
night  their  comrade  left  them  to  get  help,  and  that  the 
other  one  and  himself  were  not  strong  enough  to  dig  a 
grave  to  bury  him  in,  so  they  left  him  just  as  he  had 
died,  and  crawled  away,  and  they  kept  on  together  until 
near  the  next  night,  when  the  one  that  was  wi*:h  him 
took  sick  and  could  go  no  further. 

**And,"  said  he,  **I  built  a  fire  and  we  lay  down,  and 
I  was  so  weak  that  I  fell  asleep  and  slept  until  morning, 
and  when  I  awoke  my  companion  was  dead  and  cold. 
So  I  was  all  alone.  I  could  do  nothing  for  him  any 
more  than  he  and  I  could  for  the  other  one.  I  left 
him  also  and  started  on  alone,  but  I  could  not  go  far, 
for  I  grew  so  weak.  Then  the  thought  came  to  me  that 
I  could  eat  my  moccasins  if  I  soaked  them  soft  and 
broiled  them  over  the  coals.  After  I  had  eaten  them  I 
was  a  little  stronger,  and  kept  on  until  I  reached  this 
place,  when  my  strength  gave  out  again,  and  I  built  a 
fire,  as  I  thought  for  the  last  time,  for  I  did  not  expect 
to  ever  leave  here.  When  you  came  I  heard  your  voice, 
but  I  thought  I  was  dreaming." 

After  I  had  listened  to  his  sad  story  I  gave  him  some 
more  to  eat  and  more  whiskey,  which  seemed  to  revive 
him,  and  he  gained  strength  very  fast,  and  when  the 
morning  came  he  could  sit  up  and  seemed  quite  com- 
posed, although  he  was   no  more  than  the  shadow  of  a 


402  HE   CRIED    LIKE    A   CHILD. 

man.  But  by  noon  he  could  walk  around  and  seemed 
very  anxious  to  be  moving.  Late  that  afternoon  I 
saddled  the  horses  and  assisted  him  to  mount  one  of 
them,  and  we  left  the  place.  He  said  he  had  thought 
that  place  would  be  his  last  resting  place. 

We  rode  slowly  for  about  five  miles,  when  we  came 
to  a  stream  of  cool  water,  and  where  we  could  have  a 
shady  place  to  lie  down  and  rest,  and  I  made  a  camp 
there  and  spread  a  blanket  for  my  sick  man,  and  pre- 
pared some  supper  for  us  both.  I  had  to  remind  him 
many  times  to  be  careful  and  not  eat  too  much  in  his 
weak  state,  for  he  was  so  hungry  and  the  food  tasted  so 
good  that  he  found  it  difficult  to  restrain  himself  from 
eating  more  than  was  good  for  him. 

For  two  days  it  seemed  almost  impossible  for  him  to 
get  enough  to  eat,  and  although  I  pittied  him  I  knew  I 
must  not  give  him  all  he  would  have  eaten. 

The  morning  of  the  third  day  after  I  found  him  he 
seemed  more  rational  than  he  had  since  I  had  been  with 
him.  That  morning  he  asked  where  we  were  going,  and 
when  I  told  him  we  were  going  to  Bent's  Fort,  where 
his  comrade  was  waiting  for  us,  he  seemed  surprised. 
He  did  not  remember  that  I  had  told  him  how  the 
herder  at  the  Fort  had  found  him,  and  that  it  was 
through  his  faithful  struggle  to  get  help  for  his  starving 
friends  that  I  had  started  out  to  find  them.  When  I 
told  it  all  to  him  again  he  sat  and  cried  like  a  child. 

He  said:   *'How  can  I  ever  pay  this  friend  for  suffering 


I  CHEERED  HIM    UP  AS  WELL  AS  I  COULD.  403 

SO  much  for  me,  and  you,  a  stranger,  for  seeking  to  find 
me  in  the  trackless  wilderness?'* 

And  then  he  told  me  what  each  of  his  comrades  said 
before  they  died. 

He  said  they  were  all  raised  together  in  one  town  in 
Missouri,  and  were  as  dear  to  each  other  as  though  they 
had  been  brothers,  and  all  their  parents  were  in  Denver, 
Colorado,  where  the  four  sons  had  left  them  when  they 
started  out  prospecting  for  gold,  and  he  said  with  tears 
in  his  eyes,  *'How  can  I  ever  tell  their  mothers  what  we 
all  suffered,  and  how  the  two  died  and  their  bodies  left 
laying  unburied." 

After  we  had  talked  as  long  as  I  thought  was  best  for 
him  to  dwell  on  the  sad  events,  I  cheered  him  up  as  well 
as  I  could.  I  assisted  him  to  mount  the  horse  I  had 
selected  for  him  to  ride,  and  we  pulled  out  on  the  trail 
for  the  Fort. 

He  was  so  weak  that  we  could  not  ride  over  ten  miles 
a  day,  and  we  were  seven  days  going  back  the  same  dis- 
tance that  I  had  traveled  in  two  when  I  struck  out  to 
find  them. 

The  day  before  we  reached  Bent's  Fort  I  shot  a  young 
deer  just  as  we  were  going  into  camp,  and  as  he  was 
eating  some  of  it  he  said  it  was  the  sweetest  meat  he 
ever  ate. 

We  landed  at  Bent's  Fort  on  the  evening  of  the 
seventh  day  after  I  started  back  with  him.  His  comrade 
was  sitting  outside  of  the  Fort  when  we  came  in  sifi^ht. 


404     MEN  TURNED  AWAY  WITH  TEARS  IN  THEIR  EYES. 

and  when  he  saw  us  he  hurried  to  meet  us,  and  when  we 
were  in  speaking  distance  of  each  other  he  said: 

**Bill,  I  had  given  up  all  hope  of  ever  seeing  you 
again,"  and  he  did  not  wait  for  his  friend  to  dismount, 
but  reached  up  and  took  him  off  in  his  arms,  and  men 
who  were  used  to  all  kinds  of  sights  turned  away  with 
tears  in  their  eyes  at  the  sight  of  that  meeting. 

After  they  were  seated  together  in  the  Fort,  and  were 
more  composed  they  began  talking  about  how  they 
should  tell  the  parents  of  the  comrades  who  had  died  in 
the  mountains. 

One  said:  **I  can  never  tell  them,"  and  the  other 
said,  **We  must,  for  they  will  have  to  be  told,  and  who 
else  will  do  it  ?" 

They  now  turned  to  me  and  asked  if  I  would  take 
them  to  Denver,  and  what  I  would  charge  them  for 
doing  it. 

I  said,  **Boys,  I  will  take  you  to  Denver,  and  when 
we  get  there  you  can  pay  me  whatever  you  can  aSord  to 
pay,  be  it  much  or  little. " 

So  it  was  decided  that  we  should  leave  the  Fort  in  the 
morning,  and,  as  we  were  nearly  ready  to  start,  the  man 
who  had  brought  the  news  and  had  remained  at  the  Fort 
while  I  went  to  find  his  comrades,  asked  Col.  Bent  how 
much  his  bill  would  be  for  the  time  he  had  staid  there. 

Col.  Bent  said:  *'You  do  not  owe  me  a  cent,"  and 
taking  a  twenty-dollar  gold  piece  from  his  pocket,  the 
Colonel  handed  it  to  one  of  the  men,  saying  as  he  did 


*'THIS    IS    THE    MAN  WHO    SAVED    MY    LIFE."  405 

SO,  **But  you  can  give  this  to  Mr.  Drannan,  for  he  is  the 
one  that  deserves  this  and  more  for  what  he  has  done." 

We  mounted  our  horses  and  left  the  Fort,  and  struck 
the  trail  for  Denver. 

Nothing  occurred  to  impede  our  journey,  and  we 
arrived  at  Denver  on  the  third  day  after  we  left  Fort 
Bent. 

We  camped  on  Cherry  Creek  on  the  edge  of  town. 

I  said:  **Now,  boys,  I  will  take  care  of  the  horses 
and  cook  supper,  and  you  two  can  strike  out  and  see  if 
you  can  find  your  folks,  and  if  you  have  not  found  them 
by  dark  come  back  here  and  get  your  supper  and  stay 
with  me  to-night." 

They  had  not  been  gone  more  than  half  an  hour  when 
I  saw  them  coming  back,  and  an  elderly  man  and  woman 
and  a  young  lady  were  with  them. 

When  they  came  to  me  the  man  whom  I  had  found 
unconscious  in  the  mountains  said: 

'^Father  and  mother,  this  is  the  man  who  sought  and 
found  me  and  saved  my  life." 

The  father  took  my  hand,  and,  in  a  voice  that  trembled 
with  emotion,  said,  **I  can  never  thank  you  enough  for 
what  you  have  done  for  my  boy  and  his  mother  and  me, 
for  he  is  our  only  son,  and  I  think  our  hearts  would  have 
broken  if  he  had  shared  the  sad  fate  of  his  two  coo«- 
rades. " 

The  mother  gave  me  her  hand  without  speaking,  but 
her  tear-stained  face  and  smiling  lips  thanked  me  more 


406      THE   GIRL   THANKED    ME    IN    A    SWEET   VOICE. 

than  words  could  have  done.  The  young  girl,  whom  the 
elder  man  presented  as  his  daughter,  thanked  me  in  a 
sweet  voice  for  bringing  her  brother  back  to  them,  and 
when  all  got  through  I  felt  almost  overpowered  with 
their  gratitude. 

They  insisted  on  my  going  home  with  them  to  stay  all 
night,  which  I  did,  and  the  next  morning  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  meeting  the  father  and  mother  and  two 
brothers  of  the  other  man. 

After  I  had  talked  with  them  all  a  while,  one  of  the 
young  men  asked  me  what  they  should  pay  me  for  all 
the  trouble  I  had  taken  upon  myself  in  their  cause. 

I  told  them  that  I  would  take  the  twenty  dollars  that 
Col.  Bent  had  given  him  for  me,  and  as  the  morning  was 
wearing  away  I  bid  them  good  bye  and  left  them,  and 
started  on  my  journey  to  Taos,  New  Mexico,  and  my 
much  looked-forward-to  visit  to  Uncle  Kit,  and  that  was 
the  last  time  I  ever  saw  any  of  these  people.  But  a 
year  ago  I  was  at  Denver  and  had  occasion  to  call  at  the 
office  of  The  Rocky  Mountain  News,  which,  by  the  way, 
is  the  oldest  newspaper  published  in  the  state  of  Color- 
ado, and  while  I  was  talking  with  the  editor  he  alluded 
to  the  incident  I  have  just  spoken  about,  and  said  that 
the  man  whom  I  had  found  unconscious  at  the  camp  fire 
in  the  mountains  lived  and  died  at  Denver,  and  that  he 
was  always  called  *' Moccasin  Bill,  "from  the  fact  that 
he  ate  his  moccasins  while  trying  to  find  his  way  out  of 
the  mountains,  and  that  for  several  months  before  he 


**I   AM   VERY   PROUD   OF    MY   BOY.*'  40/ 

lied  he  seemed  to  dwell  upon  that  event,  and  always 
mentioned  how  I  rescued  him  from  certain  death  on  that 
to  him  never-to-be-forgotten  occasion. 

When  I  arrived  at  Taos  I  found  Uncle  Kit  and  his 
family  all  in  good  health,  and  I  found  Jim  Bridger  there 
having  what  he  called  a  grand  good  rest. 

As  soon  as  I  had  been  greeted  by  Uncle  Kit  and  the 
others  of  the  family,  he  asked  me  how  I  had  succeeded 
in  my  quest  of  the  lost,  and  when  I  told  him  all  the  par- 
ticulars, he  said: 

**Willie,  my  boy,  that  was  one  of  the  best  things  you 
have  ever  done,  and  it  is  something  for  you  to  be  proud 
of  doing,  and  1  am  proud  of  having  a  share  in  directing 
you  what  to  do,  and  I  am  very  proud  of  my  boy.'* 

I  answered:  ''Uncle  Kit,  you  have  always  taught  me 
to  do  my  duty  on  every  occasion,  as  I  have  noticed  you 
always  do  yourself,  and  it  has  been  the  example  you 
have  set  before  me  as  well  as  the  instruction  you  have 
given  me  from  my  boyhood  until  now  that  has  made  me 
what  I  am,  and  I  should  be  very  sorry  to  do  anything  to 
make  you  ashamed  of  or  cause  you  to  re.^ret  that  you 
took  the  little  homeless,  wandering  orphan  and  gave  him 
a  father's  care  and  protection,  and  I  shall  always  try  to 
make  you  love  me  v/hether  I  can  do  what  will  make  you 
proud  of  me  or  not. 

THE     END. 


A  NEW  BOOK. 


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The  author,  in  company  with  the  proper  detectives, 
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